Egypt

82 million people
2,600 USD GNI (PPP)
Internet:
Partly Free
Press:
Partly Free
Partly Free

News & Updates

With President Mohammad Morsi claiming widespread new powers leading to massive public protests, the future of Egyptian democracy remains in the balance. Freedom House Egypt Project Director Dr. Nancy Okail and Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Dr. Stephen Cook discussed the uncertain future of Egypt at a Freedom House event on Dec. 10.

Nancy Okail speaks to PRI's 'To the Point,' about the current political situation in Egypt.

Mohamed Morsy is miscalculating the rage of the Egyptian people, writes Nancy Okail in a piece for CNN.

Inherited cultural norms combined with structural issues such as a lack of rule of law cause women to be marginalized in Egypt and other Muslim countries, observed Freedom House Egypt Project Director Nancy Okail at a panel discussion hosted by the Women’s Foreign Policy Group on November 16.

Signature Reports

Special Reports

Policing Belief: The Impact of Blasphemy Laws on Human Rights

Policing Belief: The Impact of Blasphemy Laws on Human Rights examines the human rights implications of domestic blasphemy and religious insult laws using the case studies of seven countries—Algeria, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Poland—where such laws exist both on paper and in practice. Without exception, blasphemy laws violate the fundamentalfreedom of expression, as they are by definition intended to protect religious institutions and religious doctrine– i.e., abstract ideas and concepts – from insult or offence. At their most benign, such laws lead to self-censorship.  In Greece and Poland, two of the more democratic countries examined in the study, charges brought against high-profile artists, curators and writers serve as a warning to others that certain topics are off limits. At their worst, in countries such as Pakistan and Malaysia, such laws lead to overt governmental censorship and individuals are both prosecuted and subject to severe criminal penalties including lengthy jail sentences.

Programs

In Egypt and Tunisia, we work with activists and citizen journalists to observe the elections. Bloggers and local activists receive training on election monitoring, violation reporting techniques, new media and mobile technology usage helping to increase transparency and citizens’ engagement in the political process.