Mina Thabet is a human rights expert, activist, and writer who has been working passionately to defend human rights in the Middle East since 2011. He has worked for several local and international human rights organisations and currently heads the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at PEN International. He holds an MSc in post-conflict justice and peacebuilding. In his studies, he focused on peacebuilding in the MENA region and gender and sexual-based violence in the context of armed conflicts.
Thabet acquired unique expertise on minority rights through his work with minority communities to combat discrimination and violence against religious and ethnic minorities and to promote diverse cultures, languages and religious freedoms across the region.
Being a former prisoner of conscience himself, Thabet continues to fight for freedom of expression and equal rights for all without discrimination. He co-founded Maspero Youth Union and the Egyptian Coalition for Minorities; both were prominent social movements that promoted the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in post-Mubark Egypt. He also worked for the award-winning Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms and was a consultant for renowned international human rights NGOs such as Minority Rights Groups International and Euro-Med Rights.