Latest posts by Afef Abrougui
9 August 2019
UAE frees activist Osama al-Najjar after 5 years in detention
Despite serving his three-year sentence in March 2017, al-Najjar remained in arbitrary detention.
8 July 2019
Post-election crackdown in Mauritania: Internet shutdown lifted, journalist remains in detention
Despite ending a 10-day internet shutdown, the government continues to restrict press freedom and freedom of expression as part of its post-election crackdown.
8 May 2019
Mauritanian blogger escaped the death penalty, but remains behind bars
Ould Mkhaitir was prosecuted for writing an article in which he criticised the role of religion in Mauritania’s caste system.
15 April 2019
Jailed UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor continues hunger strike
Mansoor is serving ten years in jail after a court convicted him of publishing false information and rumours on social media.
12 April 2019
Free by day, jailed by night: Egyptian activists speak out against conditional release
Activists, who have recently been released from prison, only enjoy freedom from 6am to 6pm.
8 April 2019
Morocco’s Hirak movement has gone quiet, but the crackdown on independent media continues
The movement triggered a backlash for independent journalists and people who wanted to document the protests and ensuing crackdown.
4 April 2019
Mauritanian bloggers face defamation charges for reporting on corruption
The public prosecution accuses the two bloggers of spreading what it deemed were "false" reports of corruption allegations against the Mauritanian President.
How pro-government media in Morocco use “fake news” to target and silence Rif activists
While the internet can provide a platform for marginalized voices, it can also facilitate their victimization.
29 March 2019
#WelcomeHomeAlaa: Egyptian revolution activist Alaa Abd El Fattah released after five years in prison
Alaa was a leading voice among Egyptian bloggers and technology activists in Cairo approaching and during the Egyptian Revolution.
25 March 2019
Two years after completing his sentence, Emirati activist Osama al-Najjar remains in detention
Al-Najjar was arrested over tweets calling for the release of prisoners of conscience in the Emirates.
19 March 2019
Activists speak out against Iraq's cybercrime bill
The bill prescribes lengthy prisons sentences, including life imprisonment, for speech-related offences.
13 March 2019
Scheduled release of Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El Fattah delayed by 10 days
The #FreeAlaa campaign reassured supporters that the delay is not a cause for concern for now.
4 March 2019
Photojournalist Mahmoud ‘Shawkan’ Abu Zeid walks free, after more than five years in prison
Shawkan, who was working for Demotix at the time of his arrest, spent almost four years in pre-trial detention.
25 February 2019
How Saudi leaders are using religion to consolidate power and silence critical voices
''Oppression is a comprehensive system, and [in our country] it is enabled by religion.''
18 February 2019
EU proposal pushes tech companies to tackle ‘terrorist content’ with AI, despite implications for war crimes evidence
AI tools can assess whether a video is violent or graphic. But can they determine the video’s intended purpose?
17 December 2018
100 days for Alaa: Family of Egyptian activist counts the days until his release from prison
Alaa has been jailed or investigated under every Egyptian head of state who has served during his lifetime.
10 December 2018
Lebanese journalist goes on trial for covering migrant worker abuse allegations
Lebanon's Cybercrimes Bureau also asked him to sign a pledge to not speak about the case again, but he refused.
29 November 2018
Meet the women's rights activists behind bars in Saudi Arabia
On International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, human rights organisations continue to call for the release of jailed Saudi women activists.
27 November 2018
How will Google plug into China’s all-encompassing internet censorship regime?
How far is Google willing to go to get the Chinese government's blessing?
9 November 2018
Algerian TV network director files defamation case against independent journalists
"When we denounce corruption and favouritism, it’s an act of patriotism....we are an actor of stability, seeking to drive the country in the right direction".
