The number of internet shutdowns in 2025 broke the record set in 2024. Whereas network disruptions were once a rare occurrence, they are now a routine measure, increasingly treated by authorities as a standard response to periods of heightened political sensitivity.
Sixty-six percent of internet users live where political or social sites are blocked, and 78% live in countries where people have been arrested for online posts. This is the second installment of a blog series reflecting on the global digital legacy of the 2011 Arab uprisings.
A new generation of protesters, raised on social media and often fluent in the tools of digital dissent, has taken to the streets in recent months and years. This is the first installment of a blog series reflecting on the global digital legacy of the 2011 Arab uprisings.
On September 22, it was announced that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had issued a pardon for Alaa’s release after six years in prison. Alaa Abd El Fattah is finally free and at home with his family.
Laila Soueif has now been on hunger strike for 245 days. On Thursday night, she was taken to the hospital once again. Soueif’s hunger strike is a powerful act of protest against the failures of two governments. The Egyptian government continues to deny basic justice by keeping her son,...
Last month saw digital rights organizations and social justice groups head to Taiwan for this year's RightsCon conference on human rights in the digital age. During the conference, one prominent message was spoken loud and clear: Alaa Abd El-Fattah must be immediately released from illegal detention in Egypt.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a public commitment on February 14 to Laila Soueif. While that commitment was welcomed by the family, it is imperative that it now be followed up with concrete action.
Update 2/25/2025: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer finally met with Laila Soueif in February after months of requests for a sit-down to discuss getting his assistance to release Alaa Abd el-Fattah. Starmer pledged to do "all that I can" to secure the release of Alaa, saying in a statement: "We...
Lina Attalah is an Egyptian journalist. She is the co-founder and chief editor of Mada Masr, an independent online Egyptian newspaper and was previously the managing editor of the Egypt Independent, prior to its print edition closure in 2013. Time Magazine recognized Lina as a “New Generation Leader” in 2018, and she was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. In 2020, she was awarded the Knight International Journalism Award from the International Center for Journalists.
It’s been 25 days since September 29, the day that should have seen British-Egyptian blogger, coder, and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah walk free. His family continues to campaign for the UK government to pressure Egypt for his release.
