Egypt

82 million people
2,600 USD GNI (PPP)
Internet:
Partly Free
Press:
Not Free
Partly Free

News & Updates

Egyptian authorities today arrested Ahmed Maher, founder of the April 6 Movement, at Cairo airport upon his return from the United States. Freedom House condemns the unwarranted arrests and harassment of Maher and other democracy activists by Egyptian authorities and calls for his immediate release.

Egyptian Shura Council efforts to pass a restrictive NGO law in the absence of a legislature raises serious concerns over the future of Egypt’s civil society.

Freedom House is deeply concerned that draft legislation being considered by the Egyptian parliament will radically restrict the space for local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on issues of human rights and democracy. We call on the Egyptian government to demonstrate its commitment to democratic reform by replacing the current draft law with one that promotes freedom of association.

On the two-year anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, Freedom House released a statement on the current situation in Egypt.

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.