Egyptian Writer Detained for Protesting Prison Conditions That Could Worsen COVID-19 Spread
The arrest of Ahdaf Soueif and her family is an egregious attack on free expression. More egregiously, it shows the Egyptian government’s reflexive response to the coronavirus pandemic is… More
Egyptian Institutions Ban Mahraganat Genre of Music and Threaten Legal Action Against Artists and Listeners
“New genres of music so often emerge as the voice of those who feel they have been neglected or left behind, and whose voices might otherwise not be heard… More
Egypt Raids Office of Independent Egyptian Journalists, Arrests Staff
"These reprehensible attacks are a clear attempt to silence what may be the last remaining bastion of independent reporting in Egypt." More
Egypt Going to Extreme Lengths to Quash Dissent, Imprisoning Writers as Part of Broader Crackdown
“The Sisi regime is engaged in a desperate but nonetheless brutal attempt to silence even the slightest expression of dissent." More
Alaa Abd El Fattah | Status: Detained | Egypt
Alaa Abd El Fattah is an Egyptian activist, software developer, and blogger. After being sentenced to a month of jail in absentia, he received a five years sentence in… More
PEN America Calls White House Decision to Ignore Times Journalist’s Plight “Disgraceful”
“This is the latest in a long list of disgraceful incidents in which the U.S. government has demonstrated its callous disregard for the safety of journalists." More
Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah’s Release Requirements Compromise the Freedom He Deserves
"Alaa Abd El Fattah's release from prison is cause for celebration, but we must not forget that he never should have spent a moment in jail for engaging in… More
Egyptian Government Suing Author Alaa al-Aswany Part of Mission to Harass and Silence Writers
“Al-Aswany is being accused merely because of his criticism of President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. The government is blatantly pursuing a mission to harass writers and to censor voices reflecting the diversity and… More
Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan) | Status: Conditional Release | Egypt
Shawkan is a journalist and photographer who often depicts daily cultural life and produces street portraits. He is a contributor to publications such as Time Magazine, Die Zeit, BILD,… More
Release of Imprisoned Egyptian Photojournalist Shawkan is a Long Overdue First Step towards Justice
“Nevertheless, even as we celebrate this very welcome news, we continue to stress that he should not have served even one day behind bars for doing his job as… More
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PEN America On 
In this piece for @Slate, @SuzanneNossel, PEN America's CEO, and @VilkViktorya, PEN America's director of digital safety and free expression programs, urge Congress to explicitly set aside funds to bolster the #localnews industry.
https://bit.ly/2wGS94S
In this perilous time, writers need support, particularly financially, and we hope to support our community with a list of resources. The @PENamerica Writer’s Emergency Fund is one place to start: https://bit.ly/2UEi1Gr
PEN America's CEO @SuzanneNossel speaks with @pressgazette about how China’s efforts to “control information” have “deeply intensified” because of the #coronavirus outbreak. https://bit.ly/3bycTKG