06 Mar 19 | Awards, News and features
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ElMadina for Performing and Digital Arts is a group of artists and arts managers who combine art and protest by encouraging Egyptians to get involved in performances in public spaces, defying the country’s restrictive laws.
ElMadina’s work encourages participation — blending performances, story-telling, dance and training on human rights and citizenship — to transform public spaces and marginalised areas in Alexandria and beyond into thriving environments where people can freely express themselves.
Their work blends various artistic practices — street theatre, artistic training and grassroots advocacy — to encourage free expression in a country in which public space is shrinking under the weight of government distrust of the artistic sector.
Under the current president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, civil society has come under attack. A 2013 Protest Law restricts demonstrations and art in public spaces. Over 500 websites are currently blocked. The arts sector is tightly regulated and the use of foreign funds is restricted. A 2018 law prohibits any festivals that have not been authorised by a government committee.
Some of their work takes the form of ‘advocacy street theatre’: Street Carnival, a 2015-16 series of performances, showcased Egypt’s marginalised cultures; Training in the Street use the public realm to stage theatre training workshops for artists and the public.
Another project, Street Theater in Egypt, challenged Egypt’s Protest Law, which regulates arts in public spaces, and produced two legal studies that were referenced in the case filed against the constitutionality of the law.
As a result of their activity, ElMadina have come under growing government pressure, and had to close their office a few months ago. They cite “a lot of pressure in many different ways”; including trouble with their landlord (a governmental institution); obstacles in receiving funds; unofficial interrogations; denial of event approvals; and being put on the list of people tracked to be investigated prior to travelling.
In November 2018, ElMadina launched The Picnic, a research project and interactive artistic installation that seeks to involve the audience in monitoring the transformation of public spaces in Egypt.
Raya, Sakina & Cavafy uses the stories of two serial killers and a poet to make the audience reflect on Egypt’s cultural policies. It took the form of an exhibition and a performance that will premiere in 2019. ElMadina also do advocacy and research work for the MARSAD (Mediterranean Action and Research for Sustainability And Development) Observatory and MedCulture. They also provide a physical space for training programmes, residencies and performances.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”104691″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2019/01/awards-2019/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Index on Censorship’s Freedom of Expression Awards exist to celebrate individuals or groups who have had a significant impact fighting censorship anywhere in the world.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1551786321771-589402b3-618c-6″ taxonomies=”26925″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
09 Jan 19 | Awards, Awards Update, Egypt, Fellowship, Fellowship 2018, Middle East and North Africa, News and features
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Ahmad Abdallah of Campaigning Award-winning Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms at the 2018 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards (Photo: Elina Kansikas)
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, winner of the 2018 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award for Campaigning, is one of the few remaining human rights organisations in Egypt, a country that often uses its struggle against terrorism as a justification for its crackdown on human rights. What’s more, in 2018 the group expanded its reach, opening new offices around the country, continuing to highlight human rights abuses and providing support for those facing repression.
In May 2018, Amal Fathy, wife of Mohamed Lotfy, executive director of ECRF, was arrested and charged with “spreading fake news” after posting a video in which she criticised the government and recounted her experiences of sexual harassment on the streets. She was later also charged with “belonging to a terrorist group”, for reasons that have yet to become clear. In late December 2018, Fathy was released, although remains under house arrest. Days later an Egyptian court upheld a two-year prison sentence against the activist, raising fears she could again end up behind bars.
Despite the difficulties it faces, it’s “business as usual” for the group and its work. Index spoke with three ECRF co-founders, Ahmad Abdallah, head of the board of trustees, Lotfy and Mohamed Sameh, international relations advisor to talk about these issues.
How is Amal doing and what has life been like since her release?
Mohamed Lotfy: There are ups and downs at the moment. Of course, she is very happy to be free, finally. However, she is anxious after the two-year verdict issued on the 30 December. We live day by day and we don’t know what might happen.
Ahmad Abdallah: Amal is very tired, she still needs medication. She used to have depression problem and it deteriorated while she was in jail. She has had a horrible experience. With her two year sentence, she can be picked up anytime. She was released on probation and is not allowed to leave the house. She goes to the police station every week. The two-year sentence was harsh and she can be taken any time. She is not well yet, she still needs medical care.
Mohamed Lotfy (right) with his wife, the imprisoned activist Amal Fathy
What does it mean to have Amal home?
Lotfy: It means a lot. It means that our family is reunited. The boy can stay with his mother and father in the same place after spending almost eight months without the two of us. I was visiting my family or her family where he was staying but now, for the first time in eight months, he can see his father and mother every day at home. It’s a big change for him, for her and for me as well. It’s a feeling of home.
Abdallah: It was very good to see them together once again. It was very good for her son to see her. We expected that we could start her treatment but, unfortunately, a couple of days later she took a very harsh sentence. We are all disappointed and sad. Amal is a good person — she shouldn’t be in jail.
Lotfy: I made an official request to the National Council for Human Rights asking for a presidential pardon after the court gave Amal two years prison. The ruling is a very negative message to send to Egyptian women, to say that a victim of sexual harassment could be imprisoned for calling out this plague while harassers remain free. There is a whole social and political dimension to this. If Amal is imprisoned women will be discouraged from taking any legal steps or speaking out against sexual harassment and this is highly problematic. This can be dealt with a presidential pardon.
People continue to be arrested in Egypt, from academics and lawyers to journalists and activists. How do you view the current situation in the country and do you see any signs of hope for improvement?
Lotfy: The image is very bleak. We’ve seen no progress in the last year. We hoped that there would be less crushing of the dissident and fewer arrests against dissidents after the presidential elections. However, these arrests continued and disappearances and torture have continued. The same record on human rights continued throughout 2018. But as long as there are people who are trying to make things better and defending human rights in Egypt, then there is hope.
Abdallah: The situation in the country is disastrous, but I believe in the Egyptians and I believe in the youth. They are the light at the end of the tunnel.
What was it like for Mohamed Sameh to meet with fellow Index award winners the Cuban Museum of Dissidence when he was in London? What struggles and hopes do you think you both share for your home countries?
Mohamed Sameh: It was great to meet with the fellow Index award winners the Museum of Dissidence in London. We share many views and very similar challenges and it was wonderful such a connection across the Atlantic. Building bonds of trust is essential not only for our work, but also showing us in practice that we are not alone in our struggle. It helps putting the challenges we face in perspective. When we heard of their arrest in December, they were no longer only names, but friends who needed our support. We are happy and proud that we stand together.
ECRF recently opened two new offices in Egypt, in Aswan and Mansoura. Why were new offices necessary and how will it allow you to realise the aim of becoming more digital and ensuring the safety of both yourselves and those you work with?
Lotfy: One of the critiques of human rights organisations is that they are very centralised in Cairo and don’t reach out enough to the population outside of the capital. This is very true, so we are trying to deal with this weakness by investing more time and resources and personnel elsewhere in areas that have needs that are a bit different. Cairo being a big city has mainly civil and political rights needs, while other areas have more human rights issues that have to do with health, economic rights, environment, labour rights and so on. We have to be able to care about the main civil and political rights that we find a lot in Cairo and the specific needs of areas in Egypt like Aswan and Mansoura.
Human rights defenders Mohamed Sameh and Ahmad Abdallah of 2018 Freedom of Expression Campaigning Award-winning Egypt Commission on Rights and Freedoms. (Photo: Index on Censorship)
What does the Index on Censorship Fellowship mean to ECRF?
Lotfy: The fellowship from Index on Censorship has been very useful in opening our channels of communication with technology experts, with capacity building for staff members and senior members of management. But also, in the case of Amal, specifically, I was astonished by the amount of interest that Index has shown to the case of my wife either through publicity, lobbying but also through the complaints made to the UN. These were outputs and help that I did not expect and found very useful and freed my wife as well.
When members of our team travelled to Berlin for training in digital technologies, they exchanged ideas ideas about preparing the ground for the future of our human rights work and for the future generation of human rights activists that is more engaging, technology-oriented, secure and allows for a much bigger outreach of people interested in human rights.
Abdallah: The fellowship has really given us huge opportunities to improve and to progress in our work. It has opened new doors, especially in the use of technology in human rights.
Sameh: The Index award has been of utmost importance to us. It introduced us to a new terrain of co-operation and perspective. The dynamic it has created within our team has been vital for many of the steps we have undertaken since April 2018.
What lays ahead in 2019 for ECRF?
Lotfy: We continue to do our work. Business as usual. Every day we are still around and able to fight for human rights is a victory in the difficult circumstances we work in.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1547050462858-06f4b172-7d5e-7″ taxonomies=”24136″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
31 Dec 18 | Bahrain, Bahrain News, Campaigns -- Featured
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An Egyptian court on Sunday upheld a two-year prison sentence against activist Amal Fathy, who had been detained since May after posting a Facebook video that criticised sexual harassment in Egypt.
Her lawyer Ramadan Mohamed told Middle East Eye that her appeal had been rejected and that she would now serve jail time. Fathy is also accused of publishing offensive content, Mohamed said.
Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of Index on Censorship, said: “Index on Censorship is extremely disappointed at the decision to uphold the sentence against Amal. She should never have been charged or detained for expressing her opinion. All charges against her should be dropped and she should be released.”
Fathy and her husband Mohamed Lotfy, together with their young son, were detained after a night-time raid on their apartment on 11 May. Lotfy and the couple’s son were released after several hours, but Fathy has remained detained since then.
Following the Facebook video Ms Fathy was sentenced in September for “spreading fake news”. She also faced security-related charges, including for membership of a terrorist organisation.
Lotfy is co-founder and executive director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, which received an Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Campaigning Award in April 2018.
In May leading international human rights lawyers at Doughty Street Chambers, jointly with ECRF and Index on Censorship, lodged complaints with the United Nations rapporteurs on freedom of expression and human rights defenders regarding Fathy’s detention. In July, Doughty Street Chambers, ECRF and Index raised Fathy’s case with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.[/vc_column_text][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1546240564789-ca455c3f-0710-0″ taxonomies=”25926″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
20 Dec 18 | Campaigns -- Featured, Press Releases
Amal Fathy with her husband Mohamed Lotfy
Index on Censorship and leading international human rights lawyers at Doughty Street Chambers welcome the news that Amal Fathy, detained for speaking out against sexual harassment in Egypt, is finally to be freed on probation.
Fathy was arrested in May 2018 after posting a Facebook video that expressed anger at the sexual harassment suffered by women in Egypt. Her husband Mohamed Lotfy and their young son were also held after a night-time raid on their apartment but were released after several hours. Fathy was charged with membership of a terrorist organisation and other related charges and has remained detained since then. A Cairo criminal court has now ordered her release.
Lotfy is co-founder and executive director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), which has played a key role in increasing awareness of enforced disappearances, censorship, torture and violations of freedom of expression and association in Egypt. This has led to frequent incidents of harassment, arrest and detention of staff. ECRF received an Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Campaigning Award in April 2018.
In May, Doughty Street lawyers, jointly with ECRF and Index on Censorship, lodged complaints with the United Nations rapporteurs on freedom of expression and human rights defenders regarding Fathy’s detention. In July, Doughty Street Chambers, ECRF and Index raised Fathy’s case with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Mohamed Lotfy of ECRF said: “Amal should be released immediately and her probation lifted so that she can enjoy the full freedom she deserves. An acquittal on 30 December is long overdue.”
Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of Index on Censorship said: “Index on Censorship welcomes the news that Amal Fathy is to be freed. She should be released immediately to be reunited with her husband and son. Ms Fathy’s only ‘crime’ was to criticise the sexual harassment suffered by women in Egypt and the government’s failure to deal with it.”
Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, Doughty Street Chambers said: “Amal Fathy has been detained arbitrarily for seven months, in unsanitary conditions, without meaningful access to her lawyers, and away from her family and young son. We welcome the court order to release her. We now call on the Egyptian authorities to comply with that order immediately and drop all outstanding charges against her. Amal Fathy should be free, and free to speak her mind – not behind bars, not on probation, and not stopped from speaking out on vitally important issues to Egyptian society, civil liberties and women’s rights.”
Amal Fathy will next appear in court on 26 December, with another court date currently set for 30 December on the related charges of “broadcasting a video harming national security”, “posting a video inciting to overthrow the regime and spreading false rumours”, and “misusing social media”.
