Hosny was arrested without a warrant and held incommunicado in late September 2019 during the 2019 Egyptian protests.[1] His legal defence team called for him to be released immediately.[2] Hosny had earlier described Mohamed Ali, who earlier in September published videos accusing Sisi of corruption and calling for street protests, as playing a "positive role" and described the new protest movement as having the potential to affect the "international formula that largely determines Sisi's continued rule". Hosny argued in favour of "[stripping] Sisi of his dictatorial control of the Egyptian state".[4]