From [HERE] Last month, Mohamed Hossam El-Din, an Egyptian content creator, posted a satirical video of himself that received 7.5 million views on Facebook.

Now, he, along with four other Egyptian actors in the video, has been arrested on terrorism charges, despite the fact that the video contained no overtly political message.

Egyptian authorities are arresting social-media influencers whose content goes viral, even if that content is apolitical, as part of a crackdown on free speech by President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. As the country faces a mounting economic crisis and pressure on the government grows, human-rights activists say Mr. Sisi is seeking to cow Egyptians who have large social-media followings into toeing the government’s line.

Ordinary Egyptians, as well as some officials, have begun to question Mr. Sisi’s handling of an economic crisis that has exacerbated already high inflation by impeding imports in order to hoard dwindling foreign-currency reserves. Rising prices have in turn left many Egyptians struggling to afford staples like bread and meat.

“There’s a very palpable anger with people blaming Sisi for mismanagement of the economy for the first time in nine years,” said Hossam Bahgat, an activist from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a rights group based in Cairo. “Authorities are clearly getting more nervous and keen to rein in conduct.”

Neither the Interior Ministry nor a government spokesman responded to requests for comment.

Under Mr. Sisi, Egypt has detained tens of thousands of people for political reasons, according to human-rights groups. Thousands of Egyptians were rounded up in 2019, when the government quashed mass street protests calling for Mr. Sisi to step down.

The digital space has been one of the last relatively free areas for expression since then, but now appears to be closing.

In a satirical video entitled “The Visit,” Mr. Hossam, who produces online videos and has over 1.6 million followers on Facebook, wears a yellow jumpsuit and, from a fake jail cell, makes elusive references to getting out and seeking retribution against an opponent.

Lawyers representing Mr. Hossam and the other actors said the group was simply trying to gain followers and wasn’t seeking to make a political statement. Still, authorities charged the actors with joining a terrorist group, funding terrorism, publishing false news and using social-media accounts to spread false content, they said.

Egypt’s public prosecutor didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Other videos by Mr. Hossam feature skits with actors playing soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, as well as male students joking during a fake exam. [MORE]