CAIRO (Middle East Eye) – Egyptian security forces are escalating their persecution of exiled human rights defenders in an attempt to quash dissent abroad, a new report has revealed. The report, which is based on interviews with 10 human rights activists who fled Egypt between 2017 and 2020, details how Egyptian authorities have used a range of methods to intimidate and harass them, including issuing sentences in absentia, launching judicial investigations and placing them on designated terrorism lists. Those affected reported being denied consular services and even having their citizenship revoked, making their legal status precarious. According to the report, jointly published Monday by the Egyptian Human Rights Forum and the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, security services track and monitor activities of exiled activists and intimidate their families by frequently summoning them for questioning or arbitrarily detaining them.