Alaa Abdel Fattah — a courageous Egyptian freedom fighter, blogger, and software developer — has been arrested again only six months after being released from prison. He has been beaten, threatened, and robbed in prison, and his conditions could continue to get worse. Join us in calling on the Egyptian government to #FreeAlaa and to immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested in recent crackdowns.
Alaa is a symbol and key leader of the 2011 Egyptian uprising, and a friend of Access Now and the whole global digital rights community. You can watch his remarks at the very first RightsCon in 2011 here, and read his letter to that same community written from behind bars in 2017.
Alaa’s most recent arrest was part of a wide-reaching crackdown after hundreds of protesters took to the streets across Egypt on September 21, calling for President Abdel Fattah el Sisi to leave, saying out loud, “don’t be scared, Sisi must go!”
The protests were sparked when businessman and actor Mohamed Ali posted a series of videos on social media platforms that accused the Sisi regime of corruption and use of public funds on family and personal projects, in the face of rising poverty in Egypt.
Egyptians have the right to free expression, privacy, and free assembly, but these rights are increasingly under attack. The threat of surveillance, censorship, arrest, imprisonment, and even torture and death is very real, for far too many people. It is not just high-profile activists like Alaa who are vulnerable under the current laws and policies in Egypt. It is also journalists, members of the LGBTQ community, and those speaking out in protest.
Access Now is continuing to fight, alongside our partners, to stop the erosion of human rights in Egypt. Will you join us?
Raise your voice on behalf of those who can’t. Share information about what is happening in Egypt and call for the immediate release of Alaa and all the protesters arrested in the recent crackdown. #FreeAlaa
