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Born in Egypt · Nationality Egyptian — Politics / institutions

Anwar Sadat

Documented profile covering 5 controversies, including “Infitah and bread riots following sharp subsidy cuts” and “Camp David and separate peace with Israel: break with Arab consensus”.

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Profile No. 0598 · Updated on 12 October 2026

5Documented controversies

6Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

1981

Mass arrests in September 1981 targeting political, intellectual and religious opponents

No legal proceedings

A few weeks before his assassination, Sadat ordered a sweeping wave of arrests targeting nearly 1,600 people from widely differing backgrounds, along with measures against media outlets and religious institutions.

State of the evidence: Documented
Attribution: Political responsibility

Sources · 1

[1]
MERIPMassive Arrests Precede Sadat's AssassinationresearchHigh reliability

Last verified: 19 August 2026

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1981

Pope Shenouda III: removal of authority, internal exile and arrest of Coptic leaders

No legal proceedings

During the 1981 sectarian crisis, Sadat withdrew recognition of Coptic Pope Shenouda III's authority, confined him to a monastery and ordered the arrest of numerous Coptic religious and lay leaders.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: Not applicable
Attribution: Political responsibility

Sources · 2

[1]
TIMEReligion: Egypt's Copts in CrisisMediaHigh reliability
[2]
The Washington PostEgyptian Copts Support Ousted PatriarchMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 19 August 2026

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1977-1979

Camp David and separate peace with Israel: break with Arab consensus

No legal proceedings

Sadat chose direct negotiations with Israel followed by the 1979 peace treaty, a historic decision that secured the return of Sinai but led to Egypt's temporary isolation from the Arab world.

State of the evidence: Disputed
Legal status — source text: Not applicable
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 1

[1]
U.S. Office of the HistorianCamp David Accords and the Arab-Israeli Peace ProcessGovernment sourceHigh reliability

Last verified: 19 August 2026

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1974-1977

Infitah and bread riots following sharp subsidy cuts

No legal proceedings

Sadat's economic liberalisation and attempt to reduce subsidies on essential goods triggered the bread riots of January 1977, among the most serious social disturbances of the period.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: Not applicable
Attribution: Political responsibility

Sources · 1

[1]
ReutersSpecial Report: Egypt's Brotherhood turns to flour powerMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 19 August 2026

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années 1970

Opening political space to Islamists to counterbalance the left, followed by rising tensions

No legal proceedings

Sadat eased some repression of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists to counterbalance his Nasserist and left-wing opponents, a strategy that helped reshape political and university life.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: Not applicable
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 1

[1]
The New YorkerMan of GamaliyaMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 19 August 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.