In 2025, mobilisations linked to the “Gen Z” movement manifested in several countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, contributing in particular to major political crises in Nepal and Madagascar.
Egyptian authorities have arrested some 60 people suspected of being linked to an opposition group active on the Discord platform, according to a lawyer representing several of those arrested.
The individuals face charges of terrorism, spreading false information, and misusing social media.
These individuals were arrested as part of an investigation targeting an opposition group associated with the “Gen Z” movement, Shorouk Sallam, head of the legal team at the human rights organisation Egyptian Front for Human Rights, stated on Wednesday.
According to her, the arrests, which began at the end of last year, intensified starting in mid-May.
The individuals arrested are being prosecuted for belonging to a terrorist group, spreading false information, and misusing social media, the lawyer stated. They allegedly joined a Discord server called GenZ002, created by Egyptian activist Anas Habib, who resides abroad.
According to Shorouk Sallam, this platform was used to encourage forms of non-violent protest, including graffiti, distributing leaflets, and disseminating an online poll calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Anas Habib was arrested in Europe in 2025 in connection with separate investigations into an alleged attack on the Egyptian embassy in Amsterdam and threats against the Egyptian president’s visit to Brussels.
This case comes amid increased surveillance of digital spaces in Egypt.
The Discord platform, particularly popular among young people, was temporarily blocked in the country earlier this year. Egyptian authorities are regularly criticised by international human rights
organisations for restrictions on freedom of expression and the prosecution of opponents, journalists, and online content creators.
The term “Gen Z,” which originally referred to people born between the late 1990s and the late 2000s, has gradually come to designate protest movements led by young activists denouncing economic inequality, governance issues, and restrictions on civil liberties.
MK/AK/Sf/fss/as/APA