{"id":40688,"date":"2026-04-16T13:12:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T11:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afteegypt.org\/?p=40688"},"modified":"2026-04-16T14:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:32:16","slug":"aftes-newsletter-march-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afteegypt.org\/en\/advocacy-en\/2026\/04\/16\/40688-afteegypt.html","title":{"rendered":"AFTE’s\u00a0Newsletter: March 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) shares with you the roundtables it has organized over the past month, 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

We always welcome any inquiries or clarifications from everyone, through our social media platforms, or via the following email: info@afteegypt.org<\/span><\/p>\n

Events<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

AFTE organized a roundtable entitled \u201cFreedom of Expression and the Circulation of Information: How Can the UPR Recommendations be Integrated into the National Human Rights Strategy<\/strong>\u201d. AFTE\u2019s team presented that the Egyptian government has accepted a significant number of the UPR recommendations, but the impact of this step remains limited at the level of public policies and implementation practices. This gap is particularly important in light of the preparation of a new National Human Rights Strategy, which is intended to be an extension of the first strategy (2021\u20132026) and is meant to form the governmental framework for implementing Egypt\u2019s international obligations.
\nThe participants discussed several key points, most notably that human rights organizations are an essential component of society and should not be perceived as entities advancing unrealistic demands. They emphasized, however, the challenges these organizations face in reaching broad segments of the population, which limits their impact on shaping public awareness, particularly in light of Law No. 149 of 2019 on Associations, which imposes additional restrictions on civil society work, despite its stated purpose of enhancing rights. Participants further underscored the importance of involving civil society in the drafting of laws and public policies, as such participation could improve the quality of legislation and reinforce its legitimacy.<\/p>\n

They also noted the continued reliance on custodial penalties in several cases concerning freedom of expression, calling for a review of these policies and to instead pursue legal alternatives more consistent with the protection of rights and freedoms. In addition, they highlighted the importance of the role of official institutions, such as Parliament, in strengthening human rights protections by adopting reform proposals, exercising effective oversight, and engaging in more open deliberation of legislation related to rights and freedoms.<\/p>\n

Equally, participants stressed the necessity of access to information as a fundamental condition for enhancing transparency and accountability. They observed that restrictions on the circulation of information hinder the ability of civil society, researchers, and the media to evaluate public policies or monitor governmental performance.<\/p>\n

A group of 15 participants attended the roundtable, including Negad Elborai, board member of the national dialogue, Ahmed Ragheb, human rights lawyer, Sherif Gamal, CEWLA\u2019s executive director, Naglaa Morshed, executive director of Al Midan foundation, Soha Said, executive director of Fahim foundation, Bassam Elsawaf, member of the house of representatives, Mohamed Bassal, editorial director at Elshrouk, Hossam Ali, the vice president of the Consciousness Party, and Ragia Omran, AFTE\u2019s chairwoman of the board.<\/p>\n


\nPublications<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

AFTE’s paper,\u00a0the Complaints Committee of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation and its restrictive interventions on media and digital expression<\/a>, reveals a shift in the committee\u2019s role from a regulatory tool with direct influence over media and digital content to a punitive mechanism relying on broad powers, raising concerns regarding transparency and guarantees of freedom of expression.
\nThe paper\u00a0examines and analyzes the work of the Complaints Committee of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation in Egypt during the period 2021\u20132025. It provides both descriptive and legal analysis of the committee\u2019s published decisions and recommendations, supported by a database of 35 documented intervention cases to assess the boundaries of the committee\u2019s interventions between professional regulation and oversight of media performance on the one hand, and direct impact on freedom of expression and the circulation of information on the other.<\/p>\n

Advocacy<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression issued\u00a0a statement urging the release of poet Galal El\u2011Behairy<\/a>, particularly given that he has already spent eight years in detention and now awaits trial in two new cases, following prior release orders in other cases. The statement emphasizes that El\u2011Behairy\u2019s continued detention is unjustified, given the harsh conditions he has endured throughout those eight years, as a direct consequence of his artistic contributions, and especially that he has engaged in multiple hunger strikes during this period.<\/p>\n

Legal Aid<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

In March, three prisoners of conscience were released, most notably blogger Mohamed Oxygen, while the detention of eight others was renewed. The Administrative Court also reviewed several appeals filed by the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) on behalf of its clients, including academics and union members.<\/span><\/p>\n

–\u00a0After 8 years of continuous violations,\u00a0the Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to release\u00a0Blogger Mohamed Oxygen<\/a>.
\n–\u00a0Administrative Court Postpones Hearing of\u00a0Professor\u2019s Appeal<\/a>\u00a0Against Unlawful Suspension From Work.
\n–\u00a0\u00a0The First Circuit of the Criminal Court renewed\u00a0Mahmoud Abu Srea\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Detention for 45 days.
\n–\u00a0 The Criminal Court (First Circuit Terrorism) renews\u00a0Mohamed Zayan\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Detention for 45 Days Over Supporting Former Presidential Candidate Ahmed Tantawy.
\n–\u00a0The Supreme State Security Prosecution released\u00a0\u00a0Student Ayman Eldarder<\/a>\u00a0After Being Arrested at a Metro Station.
\n–\u00a0Lawyer\u00a0Osama Al-Shishtawy<\/a>\u00a0Released After Five Months in Pretrial Detention.
\n–\u00a0\u00a0Criminal Court renews\u00a0Sherif El-Rouby\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0detention for 45 days in violation of the legal limit for pretrial detention.
\n–\u00a0 The Cairo Criminal Court (Second Circuit Terrorism) postponed the trial\u00a0of\u00a0Journalist and Confectioner<\/a>\u00a0on Terrorism and False News Charges.
\n–\u00a0 Al-Haram Misdemeanor Court renews\u00a0Mohamed Mostafa<\/a>‘s detention for 45 days.
\n–\u00a0\u00a0State Council halts appeal on the Right to Appoint a\u00a0Teaching Assistant<\/a>\u00a0for non-compliance with court order.
\n–\u00a0Administrative Court rules in favor of Dr.\u00a0Haitham Abdel-Baqy<\/a>\u2019s appointment at Aswan University.
\n–\u00a0State Security Renews\u00a0Mostafa Ramadan\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Detention for 15 days, Ignoring his Need for Medical Care.
\n–\u00a0Cairo Misdemeanor Appellate Court accepts\u00a0Hamed Sedeek<\/a>\u2019s appeal against a verdict issued against him.
\n–\u00a0\u00a0Administrative Court Postpones Hearing of Freedom of Thought and Expression\u2019s Lawsuit Demanding Registration of\u00a0its Client<\/a>\u00a0as an Active Member of the Actors\u2019 Syndicate.
\n–\u00a0Warraq Misdemeanor Appellate Court acquits\u00a0Mohamed Mostafa<\/a>\u00a0in the Tiran and Sanafir Lawsuit.
\n–\u00a0Supreme State Security Prosecution Renews Detention of Lawyer\u00a0Mohamed Ibrahim Solieman<\/a>\u00a0for 15 days.
\n– The Criminal Court adjourned the Hearing on the renewal of\u00a0Mohamed Mostafa\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Detention due to Technical Issues.
\n–\u00a0Mohamed Hamed<\/a>‘s trial was postponed to\u00a023 June Due to his absence from Court.
\n–\u00a0 The Cairo Criminal Court adjourned\u00a0Dr. Ahmed El-Tohamy\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Trial to June 23 to Hear Additional Prosecution Witnesses.
\n–\u00a0The Cairo Criminal Court adjourned\u00a0Al-Embaby\u2019s Trial<\/a>\u00a0to May 17; Following Arrest at an Al Ahly\u2013Haras El Hodoud Match.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) shares with you the roundtables it has organized over the past month, 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":40689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[979,982],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy-en","category-monthly-newsletter-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAFTE's\u00a0Newsletter: March 2026 - Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/afteegypt.org\/en\/advocacy-en\/2026\/04\/16\/40688-afteegypt.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AFTE's\u00a0Newsletter: March 2026 - Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) shares with you the roundtables it has organized over the past month, 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. 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