The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) shares with you the reports, statements, and joint statements it issued over the past month and campaign, in addition to the legal updates of lawsuits in which AFTE provides legal support to prisoners of conscience or to academics who were subjected to abuse and security prosecutions for expressing their opinions.
We always welcome any inquiries or clarifications from everyone through our social media platforms or via the following email: [email protected]
Reports
AFTE has published a paper about restricting creative freedom in the context of Afrocentrism, that tackled the issue of restricting the freedom of creativity driven by a public rhetoric that supports and even demands this restriction has recently emerged, as we have recently witnessed the cancellation or postponement of concerts.
The paper relied on published news and press reports, which included statements made by representatives of the Syndicate of Musical Professions regarding the facts of the ban, as well as an analysis of Law No. 35 of 1978 regarding the establishment of syndicates and the Federation of Syndicates of Actors, Cinematographers, and Musicians, in addition to the internal regulations of the Syndicate of Musical Professions, which were approved by the Syndicate Council in 2007 and ratified by the General Assembly in the same year. More.
Advocacy
In a joint statement, AFTE along with 6 NGOs considered that the recent initiatives undertaken by the Egyptian authorities to amend the maximum duration of pretrial detention are futile if not coupled with measures to end the repressive practices of the security apparatus and ensure judicial independence. The NGOs said that these steps would require political will that is not currently possessed by the Egyptian authorities, who continue to harass and prosecute political opposition, civil society members, and media figures. Journalists, politicians, and bloggers are among those especially targeted, vulnerable to prosecution under oft-used fabricated charges for a piece of writing, a cartoon or even an online comment that is considered subversive by the authorities. More.
AFTE and 9 other NGOs issued a statement that condemned the Egyptian security forces’ raid on the headquarters of ElMaraya for Culture and Arts, where they searched it and seized some of its contents, including computers, dozens of books and cultural publications, a number of files and financial documents. More.
11 Human rights organizations, including AFTE, condemned the repeated security crackdown on and prosecution and enforced disappearance of journalists only for practicing their journalistic duties. The latest incident in this regard was the Supreme State Security Prosecution’s decision to remand journalists Khaled Mamdouh and Ashraf Omar in custody in two separate cases in July. The undersigned organizations also condemn the State Security Prosecution’s refusal to allow the lawyers of the Journalists Syndicate and the lawyer of the Al-Manassa website to attend the interrogation session with Omar, as well as the failure to investigate the enforced disappearance of Mamdouh for nearly six days and Omar for two days, without enabling them to communicate with their families or lawyers.More.
Legal Aid
- T-Shirt Detainee Released After 3 Years in Prison
- Journalist Khaled Mamdouh’s Detention Renewed for 15 Days, Nearly a Month After His Home Was Raided and He Was Forcibly Disappeared
- Detention of Academic Ahmed Al-Tomahy Renewed After Four Years in Pretrial Detention
- Detention of Citizen Returning from the UAE to Visit His Family is Renewed
- Detention Renewed for a Mother of Two Due to Facebook Posts on Power Outages
- Detention Renewed For Two Zamalek Fans Accused of Joining Al-Ahly Ultras, Designated as a Terrorist Group
- Detention Renewed for Ahmed Oraby, a January Revolution Injured, for Criticizing Living Conditions on Facebook
- Poet Galal ElBehairy’s Detention Renewed Pending Investigations in his Third Case
- Detention Renewed for Citizen Arrested on Ismailia Streets
- Renewal of Detention of 16-Year-Old Arrested in Connection with Calls for July 12 Protests Although He Did Not Publish Any Calls
- Detention Renewed for a Student Who Posted a Call for Protests and a Video Supporting Gaza on Social Media
- Renewal of Detention for Islam Abu Saud Due to Facebook Posts Complaining About Power Outages
- Renewal of Detention of Magdy Awad for 15 days Due to Posts Criticizing the High Prices
- Renewal of Detention of A Citizen Who Criticized Economic Situation and Egypt’s Stance on the Palestinian Issue on Facebook
- Renewal The Detention of A Citizen Who Posted a Comparison of Commodity Prices Between 2013 and 2024
- Detention Renewed for Translator and Cartoonist Ashraf Omar for 15 Days After Being Arrested from His Home and Forcibly Disappeared
- Administrative Court Set 3 November Session to Consider the Case Against Non-Implementation of Judicial Ruling in Favor of Manar El-Tantawy
- Detention Renewed for Architect Imprisoned for Over 4 Years, Suffering from Chronic Illnesses
- After 7 Years in Pretrial Detention, Mohamed Al-Qassas’s Detention Renewed in His Third Case
- After Being Arrested from her Home; a Woman Was Detained for Criticizing the President and Government Policies on Social Media
- September 1 Hearing Set for Urgent Appeal Filed by Researcher Ahmed Samir Santawy Against Travel Ban
- Omar Al-Hout’s Detaintion Was Renewed in New Case After Over a Decade in Prison
- After two years in prison, the Criminal Court renews Mohamed Amer Abdel Aziz’s detention for 45 days
- The Criminal Court renews the detention of Tantawy’s presidential campaign Khaled Abd El-wahed After About 1 Year in Prison
- Detention Renewed for Hamed Sedeek Who is Detained from 2019
- After a year in detention, the criminal court renewed the detention of two fans of Al-Ahly football club arrested from Cairo Stadium
Campaigns
“What does it really mean?”
AFTE published a social media campaign in August that explained freedom of expression extends beyond speech.
On the International Day Of Forced Disappearances, marks August 30 each year, AFTE highlighted the alarming increase in this practice by the Egyptian authorities..
Since 2014, enforced disappearances in Egypt have increased with a relentless methodology.
People are being taken from their homes by state security and vanishing without a trace.
AFTE monitored 32 arrests this year, with 75% involving enforced disappearances.
These numbers are much lower than the thousands reported from 2014-2022. More.
