Articles by Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
![Amnesty International activists take part in a performance to protest in Rome, Italy against enforced disappearance in Egypt and elsewhere, 13 July 2016, REUTERS/Tony Gentile](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/egypt-disappearance-amnesty-protest-reuters.jpg)
Detention with no end in sight for Egyptian rights advocate Hanan Badr el-Din
Hanan, a human rights defender and co-founder of the ÈAssociation of the Families of the DisappearedÈ group, was trying to get information about her forcibly disappeared husband when she was arrested herself and placed in preventative detention indefinitely.
![Kem Ley, 4 June, 2016, AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/kemley3.jpg)
Pressure mounts on Cambodia a year after Kem Ley’s killing
On the one-year anniversary of the death of popular Cambodian activist Kem Ley, civil society organisations from around the world reiterated their call for an independent inquiry.
![Palestinians take part in a rally in support of Qatar, inside the Qatari-funded construction project 'Hamad City', in the southern Gaza Strip, 9 June 2017, REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/qatar-gulf-political-rift-palestinans-demonstrate-reuters.jpg)
MENA round-up: A clear return to authoritarian tactics across the region
This June, the Gulf crisis and its ramifications on the right to free expression across the region dominated the news. Other developments included protests in Morocco and Lebanon, censorship in Egypt and the West Bank, and the loss of lives in Iraq.
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Statement of Solidarity in Support of MENA HRDs for IFEX25
NGOs around the world ask authorities to stop campaigns of repression against HRDs and civil society organisations in the Middle East and North Africa region
![U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and other leaders tour the new Global Center for Combatting Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 21 May 2017, REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/saudi-arabia-trump-center-combat-terrorism-reuters.jpg)
Emboldened regimes: Crushing Middle East dissent
As President Trump visited Saudi Arabia, repression hit new highs throughout the Middle East. But, though the level of repression to stamp out dissent may be new, the excuse was a very familiar one.
![A view of the High Court of Justice in Cairo, Egypt, 21 January 2016, REUTERS/Staff/File Photo](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/egypt-high-court-justice-cairo-reuters.jpg)
The crackdown continues
Activist Mohammed Zaree was short-listed for the prestigious Martin Ennals human rights award. But the Egyptian government was not impressed: It may soon decide to put him behind bars.
![Student supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, shout slogans as they face a line of riot police during a demonstration outside Cairo University May 14, 2014, REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/student-protests-egypt-university-riot-police.jpg)
How tight can Egypt’s grip on universities get?
With 21 extrajudicial killings reported in the last three years, Egypt’s student movement needs the world’s spotlight more than ever.
![Activist Alaa Abdel Fattah stands in front of a police officer at a court during his trial in Cairo, November 11, 2014, REUTERS/Al Youm Al Saabi Newspaper](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/alaa-abdelfattah-prisoner-banned-reading.jpg)
Alaa Abdel Fattah: A prisoner banned from reading
Abdel Fattah has been in isolation since the beginning of 2015. Because of restrictions on his right to read, to receive information, and to correspond with family and friends, he is severely limited in his ability to communicate with the outside world.