PEN’s Free Expression Digest brings you a daily curated round-up of the most important free expression-related stories from around the web. Please send your feedback and suggestions to [email protected]

Egypt arrests three journalists, whereabouts of two unknown
In the span of five days, press syndicate member Mahmoud Mostafa Saad was detained at a Cairo airport. Masked and armed security forces raided the offices of the Mada Foundation for Media Development and arrested Hisham Jaafar, the director of the organization. And security forces broke into the the home of journalist Hussam el-Sayed, arrested him, and took him to an undisclosed location. Motives for all arrests are unclear. COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS

Campaign to free Alaa Abdel Fattah stirs social media
After a year in prison, activists launched a social media campaign in the early hours of Monday to free prominent activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. The Cairo Criminal Court gave Abdel Fattah a five-year prison sentence, in addition to an EGP 100,000 fine for ‘assaulting the police and illegal protesting’ in the case known as the Shura Council case. DAILY NEWS EGYPT

At Ubud Writers Fest, Indonesians can’t talk about 1965 killings
The Indonesian government does not acknowledge responsibility in the murder of more than half a million communists and their sympathizers between 1965 and 1966. After police threats, discussions of the killings have been cancelled at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. COCONUTS BALI

NGO director detained for ‘derogatory’ comments under Bangladesh’s ICT Act
Mohon Kumar Mondal, director of Bangladeshi NGO LEDARS, was arrested and detained for making ‘derogatory’ comments on Facebook regarding the Hajj. Mohon Kumar Mondal was charged in September 2015 under the Information Communication and Technology Act for damaging the religious sentiment of Muslims. IFEX

Cartoonist Zunar arrives in Britain as he faces 43 years in Malaysian prison
Zulkiflee Sm Anwar Ulhaque, who draws under the name Zunar, has arrived in Britain to highlight his trial next month, in which he faces nine charges under Malaysia’s 1948 Sedition Act. Zunar has angered Malaysian authorities with cartoons suggesting that the country is run not by Prime Minister Najib Razak but by his wife Rosmah Mansor. THE INDEPENDENT

Amidst conflict in Yemen, journalists are being silenced
Yemen’s human tragedy is exacerbated when the world can’t comprehend who is behind the abductions and killings of innocent civilians. There are passionate local journalists keen to communicate the country’s story, but they live in fear. THE GUARDIAN

Turkey’s AK Party gov’t seizes media groups a week before polls
In the latest example of a politically motivated attack on the private sector and independent media, the interim Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has appointed a trustee to take over management of Koza İpek Holding, which owns media outlets that are critical of the government, a prosecutor’s note revealed. TODAY’S ZAMAN

NBC Nigeria pulls movie on transgender teenager
NBC Nigeria has ordered Multichoice, the parent company of DSTV, to stop airing “I am Jazz”, a mini-series about a transgender child. The company said the program is ‘capable of corrupting youths’ and promotes values which violate Nigerian law prohibiting homosexuality. ALL AFRICA

Uighur activist Ilham Tohti documentary *PEN Case List
China Change, a news and commentary website, has compiled interviews related to Uighur activist Ilham Tohti into a film which includes clips of Tohti himself plus commentaries by Sakharov Prize laureate Hu Jia, Professor Elliot Sperling, and Jewher Ilham, Tohti’s daughter. The former professor was sentenced to life in prison in September 2014 for advocating basic economic, cultural, religious, and political rights for the Uighur people. CHINA CHANGE