Articles by Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
![](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/egyptian-cybercrime-bill-graphic-e15356621751891.jpg)
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.](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/47902.jpg)
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](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/egypt-presidential-election-getty.jpg)
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](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/egypt-censorship-internet-blocking-getty.jpg)
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](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/egypt-protest-political-prisoners-getty.jpg)
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](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/egypt-security-attacks-critics-reuters.jpg)
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](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/spain-world-pride-lgbt-reuters.jpg)
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.
![An employee works inside the office of the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network in Jerusalem, 7 August 2017, REUTERS/Ammar Awad](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/israel-aljazeera-reuters.jpg)
No August reprieve for journalists and activists in the Middle East and North Africa
Whether authoritarian regimes, so-called democracies or warring armed groups, those who wield power in the Middle East and North Africa have taken internet censorship to new levels and stepped up their individual campaigns against critics, journalists, and opponents this month.