Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)

Articles by Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)

Egypt: Freedom of expression backslides during the COVID-19 pandemic

This statement was originally published on afteegypt.org on 19 May 2020. Introduction The 2020 first-quarter report on the “Freedom of Expression situation in Egypt” coincides with the outbreak of a global pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 people worldwide, besides resulting in millions of infections. Such a crisis has prompted most countries to implement several […]

Egypt’s Cybercrime Law and Media Regulation Bill violate right to freedom of expression

Over 40 NGOs call for the full repeal of Egypt’s cybercrime law and the reform of dangerous media regulation legislation. The groups describe these laws as the latest steps in the Egyptian government’s attempt to impose full control over the flow of information online.

Screenshot from Mona el-Mazbouh’s apology video.

8 years for a Facebook video: Egypt must immediately release Mona el-Mazbouh

Over 25 organizations call on the Egyptian government to immediately release imprisoned Lebanese tourist Mona el-Mazbouh, yet another episode in President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s continued crackdown on rights and freedoms.

An employee checks for phosphorous ink on a resident's finger during the distribution of staple commodities as part of an effort to mobilize voters during the 2018 presidential election, in Giza, Egypt, 28 March 2018, Islam Safwat/NurPhoto via Getty Images

How Egyptian authorities targeted journalists during the presidential elections

This paper attempts to monitor the general atmosphere in which the press community worked during the period of the Egyptian presidential elections.

Egyptian students attend a secondary school class at a private school in Cairo, 23 October 2013, KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images

Closing windows.. censorship of the internet in Egypt

The number of blocked websites in Egypt since May 2017 has reached at least 497 websites.

Protest in front of the Medicine Syndicate in Cairo, Egypt, in solidarity with 22-year-old student and political prisoner Ahmed el-Khatib, 30 March 2017 , Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Life after sentencing for MENA’s political detainees

In December, MENA activists focused on the plight of political detainees serving lengthy and unjust sentences in obscurity.

Military secure worshippers outside Al Rawdah mosque during the first Friday prayer after the attack in Bir Al-Abed, Egypt, 1 December 2017, REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Unapologetic crackdowns on dissent as greater instability rocks MENA

As the saga of Saudi’s hunted elites commanded attention across the Middle East and North Africa this November, news of the region’s less powerful prey fell by the wayside. Authorities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Libya, Morocco, and Egypt went after protesters, journalists, and human rights defenders critical of their regimes.

LGBT flags are displayed during World Pride in Madrid, Spain, 30 June 2017, REUTERS/Susana Vera

Over 57 individuals arrested as part of LGBTQ+ crackdown in Egypt

Human rights organizations condemn the crackdown on individuals in Egypt based on their perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.