On 14 August 2026, families of Egyptian detainees launched Families of Egyptian Detainees Association (FEDA) to seek releases, fair trials and better prison conditions on the 13th anniversary of Rabaa to seek practical solutions to what it described as a 13-year detention crisis and press for improved prison conditions and fair trials.
In its founding statement, FEDA said its main objective was to bring an end to “the tragedy that has continued for 13 years” by pursuing measures that could lead to the release of political detainees.The group’s launch coincides with the 13th anniversary of the Rabaa and Nahda massacres on 14 August 2013, when Egyptian security forces violently dispersed two sit-ins by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo.
The association said it would use legal and political channels to seek prisoners’ release and push for fair trials and detention conditions that comply with Egyptian law and international standards.
Its plans include approaching Egyptian and international institutions, political and religious leaders, and figures working in politics, media and human rights. FEDA also intends to visit the United Nations and bodies dealing with detention and enforced disappearance, pursue legal cases over alleged abuses and organise solidarity events.
Human Rights Watch estimated in 2017 that around 60,000 people had been imprisoned on political grounds since that year, although that cannot be treated as a current estimate of those presently held.
Rights organisations say political detention has affected journalists, activists, human rights defenders, protesters, academics and political opponents, as well as people detained over expression or political activity.
The association stressed that it was not aligned with any particular political movement, saying its purpose was to represent detainees’ families and work with Egyptian and international institutions to bring the political detention crisis to an end.
Human rights defenders who engage with the United Nations are increasingly facing reprisals through transnational repression, as States seek to silence criticism beyond their borders.
ISHR calls on States to raise cases of transnational repression as reprisals against human rights defenders who engaged with the United Nations. Here is the message it will send and it calls on anybody to sign up:
Excellency,
In the past, you showed your support in preventing reprisals against those who engage with the United Nations by co-sponsoring the resolution on reprisals and/or publicly naming cases of reprisals against human rights defenders.
The following human rights defenders have dedicated themselves to promoting and safeguarding human rights in their respective countries, including through engagement with the United Nations. Yet, instead of being protected, they are facing reprisals and transnational repression linked to their cooperation with UN human rights mechanisms.
Through threats, criminalisation, surveillance, attacks on family members, professional sanctions, asset seizures and other forms of intimidation, these defenders continue to face consequences for engaging with the United Nations, even while living in exile.
I urge your delegation to raise the following cases during the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly’s Third Committee and publicly condemn all acts of reprisals and transnational repression against individuals who cooperate with the UN.
Basma Mostafa (Egypt) is an investigative journalist and human rights defender who fled Egypt in 2020 after reporting on enforced disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings. Despite living in exile in Europe, she continues to face threats, harassment, surveillance and intimidation linked to her human rights work and engagement with UN human rights mechanisms. Her case was included in the UN Secretary-General’s reprisals report.
Anna Kwok (Hong Kong) was the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council. In connection with her international human rights advocacy and engagement with UN mechanisms, Hong Kong authorities issued an arrest warrant against her, revoked her passport and offered a reward for information leading to her arrest. Her case was included in the Secretary-General’s reprisals report, and reprisals have also extended to her family members.
Armel Niyongere, Dieudonné Bashirahishize, Vital Nshimirimana and Lambert Nigarura (Burundi) are human rights lawyers who were forced into exile after cooperating with the UN Committee against Torture. Despite living in Belgium, they remain subject to the consequences of reprisals, including life sentences handed down in absentia and the freezing of their assets in Burundi. In 2025, the Committee against Torture found that Burundi had violated the Convention against Torture by retaliating against them for engaging with the UN.
These cases underscore the urgent need for States to address transnational repression as a growing threat to the integrity of the UN human rights system and the safety of those who engage with it.
I call on your delegation to publicly raise these cases during the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly’s Third Committee, condemn all acts of reprisals and transnational repression against those who cooperate with the United Nations, and urge the governments concerned to end these violations.
Human rights defenders must be able to engage with the United Nations freely, safely and without fear of retaliation, whether at home or abroad.
Yours sincerely,
your full name will go here
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On 4 May 2026 the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) remembered eight women organizers from the region who fought for a better region and in whose stories we find inspiration:
Lina Ben Mhenni
“I am the activist of all causes.”Lina Ben Mhenni was a Tunisian blogger, educator, and activist whose voice rose to prominence as Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution unfolded. Born in Tunis in 1983 and raised in a politically engaged family, she used her blog A Tunisian Girl to document censorship, women’s rights, and state repression well before the revolution began. When protests erupted after Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation in December 2010, she became a leading voice reporting from inside the country. Traveling to Sidi Bouzid, Kasserine, and Regueb, she documented police brutality, sharing photos and testimonies online despite a strict media blackout. After the revolution, she continued advocating for human rights, freedom of expression, and justice for victims and their families. She also launched initiatives to support prison libraries, delivering over 45,000 books across Tunisia. Recognized internationally, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. She passed away in 2020 at the age of 36 after a long battle with lupus. [see also https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/01/29/in-memory-of-tunisian-human-rights-defender-lina-ben-mhenni/]
Sarah Hegazi
Sarah Hegazi was an Egyptian queer feminist and human rights defender. As a member of the Bread and Freedom Party in Egypt, she advocated for political prisoners, opposed the death penalty, and supported movements for freedom across the MENA region, including in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Sudan. Her activism was intersectional, grounded in class struggle and solidarity. In 2017, she raised a rainbow flag at a Mashrou’ Leila concert in Cairo—an act that made her a target for state repression. As part of the anti-LGBTQI+ crackdown that followed, Sarah was arrested, detained, and subjected to torture. Sarah was fired from her job and experienced severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Out of fear for her safety amid continued targeting, bullying, and repression, Sarah was forced to flee Egypt in 2018. She traveled to Canada where she sought political asylum. While living in exile apart from her loved ones, and the country and community most dear to her, Sarah took her life on June 13, 2020. She was 30 years old.
Bahjaa Abdelaa Abdelaa
Bahjaa Abdelaa Abdelaa was a Sudanese human rights defender who worked tirelessly in support of Sudanese women. Born in Nyala, South Darfur, she was also an economist who graduated from the University of Khartoum in 2020. She was a member of the Women Revolutionary Group, which was created to advocate for women’s rights, gender equality, and social justice, as well as to support survivors of rape and sexual violence in Darfur. Bahjaa became known for her monitoring and documentation work, highlighting the pervasiveness of sexual violence during conflict. She was also part of the Darfur Collation of Women Human Rights Defenders (TMD). As the war raged in Sudan, and after receiving death threats due to her human rights work, on October 26, 2023, Bahjaa was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen while attending a relative’s funeral at Kalma camp for internally displaced people in Nyala. She was 26 years old.
Giselle Khoury
Known as the “grande dame of Arab journalism” for her pointed interview style, Giselle Khoury was a Lebanese journalist and television personality whose career spanned almost four decades, defined by her commitment to freedom of expression and pluralism. She began at LBC in 1985, later joined MBC, and also contributed to the launch of Al-Arabiya. She became known for hosting major political programs such as Bil Arabi and Studio Beirut, where she interviewed leading political figures from across the region. Her work continued with BBC Arabic and Sky News Arabia. As one of the first women Arab journalists to host such high-profile programs, she helped reshape the media landscape. After the 2005 assassination of her husband, journalist Samir Kassir, she co-founded the Samir Kassir Foundation to support independent journalism, monitor press freedom, and nurture new generations of media professionals. She passed away in October 2023 at the age of 62 after a battle with cancer.
Bassma Kodmani
Bassma Kodmani was a Syrian academic, advocate, and political figure, whose career bridged research, policy, and activism. She co-founded the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), a collaborative think tank “to articulate a home-grown agenda for democratic change in the Arab region,” serving as Executive Director from 2005 to 2019. When Syrians peacefully took to the streets in 2011, Bassma took a temporary leave from ARI to serve as Head of Foreign Relations and spokesperson with the Syrian National Council, the opposition body organizing for a democratic alternative at the time, until her resignation in 2012. In 2016, she participated in the Geneva peace talks as part of the delegation of the democratic opposition. Holding a PhD from Sciences Po, Bassma authored and edited multiple works on Middle Eastern politics and conflict and was a renowned political thinker. Her vision for a Syria that embraces the equal participation of all Syrians is one that continues to inspire younger scholars today. She died of breast cancer at the age of 64.
Shireen Abu Akleh
“I chose journalism to be close to people. It might not be easy to change the reality, but at least I can bring their voices to the world.” Shireen Abu Akleh was a Palestinian-American journalist and one of the most recognizable voices in the Arab world. Born in Jerusalem in 1971, she spent over 25 years covering the realities of life under Israeli occupation. After studying journalism at Yarmouk University, she began at Voice of Palestine radio and Radio Monte Carlo before joining Al Jazeera in 1997. At a time when few Palestinian women worked as field reporters, she became a leading correspondent. She rose to prominence during the second intifada in 2000, reporting from the ground and centering the lived experiences of Palestinians—from political prisoners to families affected by displacement and violence. On May 11, 2022, Shireen was shot and killed in a targeted attack by Israeli Defense Forces, while wearing a press vest and while covering a raid in Jenin. Her funeral, which was attacked by Israeli police forces, drew hundreds of mourners and widespread solidarity.
Salwa Bugaighis
Salwa Bugaighis was a Libyan lawyer, human rights advocate, and political figure. She was active in the 2011 Libyan Revolution, which ultimately overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. Based in Benghazi, she built her career defending political prisoners and advocating for justice under an authoritarian regime. From the start of the uprising, she was on the front lines, helping to organize protests and becoming a member of the National Transitional Council. She later resigned in protest over the lack of women’s representation. She continued her work through national dialogue initiatives aiming to bridge divisions across Libya’s fragmented society. Bugaighis was known for her outspoken criticism of armed groups and extremists. Even in the face of threats and violence, she remained committed to building democratic institutions and a more inclusive Libya. In June 2014, after returning home following her vote in the country’s parliamentary elections, she was assassinated in a targeted attack in which gunmen stormed her home, shot and stabbed her, and abducted her husband. She was 51 years old. [see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/11/12/libyan-human-rights-defender-hanan-al-barassi-gunned-down-in-benghazi/]
Yanar Mohammed
Yanar Mohammed was a prominent Iraqi feminist and human rights defender. In 1998 while living in Canada, she founded the Defense of Iraqi Women’s Rights, which in 2004, became the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI). At this point, Yanar had relocated back to Iraq, and the group created the first shelters for women fleeing domestic violence, sex trafficking, and threats of honor killings. In the years since, OWFI has operated a network of safe houses and shelters around the country and helped hundreds of women. Yanar served as editor of the feminist newspaper Al-Mousawat and participated in protests in Tahrir Square. She regularly advocated for marginalized groups in Iraq, including displaced communities and LGBTQI+ individuals. For years, Yanar received death threats for her work, at times having to restrict her movement. In March 2026, unidentified gunmen shot her outside her home in Baghdad. She was 66 years old. See https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2026/03/06/on-2-march-2026-woman-human-rights-defender-yanar-mohammed-was-killed-in-baghdad/.
Join Human Rights First and Human Rights Watch for a briefing on Egypt’s repressive practices and the impact on the Egyptian diaspora in America.
Date & Time :May 1, 2026 09:30 AM ET
A highlight will be Human Rights First’s work on El Sammak v. Egypt, a case brought on behalf of two American brothers—one a minor—who were violently assaulted by Egyptian security agents outside and inside Egypt’s Mission to the United Nations in New York City in retaliation for a protest by their friend.
Repressive regimes throughout the world deploy the machinery of the state to silence criticism and dissent. It is therefore hardly surprising that artists—whose creative work can expose, ridicule, and condemn in emotive and powerful ways—are common targets of political persecution. Over the past few years, there have been crackdowns on artists and performers in Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Azerbaijan, Egypt, China, and Venezuela, among other countries. The following artists dared to use their creative expression to challenge powerful systems, and have been punished with political imprisonment. From: Political Prisoners Watch February 19, 2026
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a Cuban artist and activist whose evocative performance art led to government harassment and numerous periods of detention. After the Cuban government enacted Decree 348 in 2018, which required artists to obtain advance approval for even private performances, he cofounded the San Isidro Movement to protest the increasing censorship of free expression. On July 11, 2021—the start of the historic J11 protests—he was arrested and has been detained ever since. In June 2022, he was sentenced to five years in prison for contempt, public disorder, and insulting symbols of the homeland, and remains in prison in Cuba. [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2024/09/19/the-rafto-prize-2024-to-cuban-artivist-luis-manuel-otero-alcantara/]
Maykel Osorbo Castillo Pérez is a Cuban musician who cofounded the San Isidro Movement with Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. Due to his activism and vocal opposition to the Cuban regime, he was subjected to systemic harassment, including being arrested 121 times in a five-month period. He cowrote the 2021 song Patria y Vida(Homeland and Life), which inspired thousands to demonstrate against Cuba’s repressive regime and won two Latin Grammys. He was not able to accept the awards, however—in May 2021, he was arrested, forcibly disappeared for 14 days, and eventually sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of contempt, public disorder, and defamation of institutions and organizations, heroes, and martyrs.
Gao Brothers, The Utopia of the 20 Minute Embrace (2000), modified image via Wikimedia Commons, used under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Gao Zhen is a Chinese artist and US permanent resident who was detained while visiting family in China in August 2024. Avant-garde works by Gao and his brother Gao Qiang—known together as the Gao Brothers—include huge, mirror-like sculptures and other works critiquing Mao Zedong and China’s Cultural Revolution. Authorities allege that Gao committed the offense of “insulting or defaming heroes and martyrs,” though the art in question had been created years before the Law on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs was enacted. Gao’s wife Zhao Yaliang has been prohibited from leaving China, and she and their young son have remained there since his detention. [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddqpr7z74yo]
Galal El-Behairy is an Egyptian poet and singer/songwriter who has faced severe retaliation for his artistic work. He wrote the lyrics for the guitar-driven protest song Balaha, which mocked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the country’s corrupt establishment. Five days after its release in February 2018, he was arrested by the National Security Police and disappeared for a week. In July 2018, he was sentenced to three years in prison by a military court for allegedly spreading false news and rumors and insulting the Egyptian army in his poetry book The Finest Women on Earth. Although his sentence expired in 2021, he was not released, and he is now facing additional charges including disseminating fake news and joining and aiding a terrorist organization.
Independent human rights experts on 14 January 2026 expressed concern over restrictions faced by human rights defenders in Egypt following their release from detention.
“We recently raised concerns about the continued detention of human rights defenders on renewed and similar charges,” the experts said. “Even those who have been released continue to face restrictions that severely limit their ability to return to normal life.”
Many human rights defenders charged under Egypt’s counterterrorism law have faced a travel ban, had their assets frozen, or ended up back on the country’s terrorism watchlist after being released.
“Such restrictions have severe consequences for the affected individuals and their families and their ability to enjoy economic and social rights,” the experts said.
“This is deeply concerning, particularly given that Egyptian law guarantees the right to appeal asset freeze decisions, which the three individuals have done, but to no avail,” the experts said.
Human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer was detained in connection with several cases involving similar charges. During his incarceration in late 2020, his name was added to Egypt’s terrorism watchlist for a period of five years, leading to a travel ban, withdrawal of his passport, and freezing of his bank account and other assets. El-Baqer received a presidential pardon in 2023, but he has remained on the terrorism watchlist.
“What makes it all the more shocking is that, just one day before the end of the five-year period, El-Baqer was added to the terrorist list for another five years, despite no evidence being provided,” the experts said.
Human rights defender Ahmed Samir Abdel-Hai’ was arrested in early 2021 after returning from university in Vienna where his studies focused on Egypt’s anti-abortion laws. He was sentenced to three years in prison but was freed by a presidential pardon in summer 2022.
Since then, Abdel-Hai has been banned from travelling, with the official reason given being that he was a “threat to national security.”
The experts asked how Abdel-Hai could still be regarded as a threat to the country after he received a presidential pardon.
“These human rights defenders were criminalised under vague counterterrorism laws. They have either served their sentences or been granted presidential pardons. They should not continue to face restrictions,” they said.
The experts urged authorities in Egypt to put an end to these restrictions in line with international human rights standards.
On 14 November 2025, Scilla Alecci of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Inc. (ICIJ) wrote about a parliamentary report which identified China and other authoritarian regimes as harassing and attacking dissidents abroad, echoing findings from ICIJ’s China Targets.
European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution urging member states to confront efforts by authoritarian regimes to coerce, control or silence political opponents and dissidents living in Europe. “Human rights defenders are a key pillar of democracy and the rule of law, and they are insufficiently protected,” a statement from the parliament said.
The resolution, adopted with a majority of 512 votes (to 76 against and 52 abstentions), called for targeted sanctions against perpetrators, market surveillance of spyware and better coordination among European authorities to counter what lawmakers labeled “transnational repression.”
The resolution is not legally binding but signals that European lawmakers want to take a clear position on the issue and draw attention to it, Elodie Laborie, a spokesperson for the Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in an email.
It confirms findings by ICIJ’s China Targets investigation, which revealed how Beijing continues to use surveillance, hacking and threats against Chinese and Hong Kong dissidents, Uyghur and Tibetan advocates and their families to quash any criticism of the regime abroad.
On 25 September 2025, 11 States raised individual cases of intimidation and reprisal in 15 different countries and territories at the Human Rights Council‘s 60th session. The cases of Kadar Abdi Ibrahim (Djibouti) and Loujain Al-Hathloul (Saudi Arabia) were cited by States. Cases from ISHR’s 2022 and 2024 campaigns were also among the cases mentioned, as well as the case of Basma Mostafa (Egypt) facing transnational repression.
On 16 October 2025, at the Third Committee of the General Assembly‘s 80th session, specific cases and situations of intimidation and reprisal were raised again by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg during this dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General. They raised the cases of Human Rights Center Viasna (Belarus), Chow Hang Tung (Hong Kong) and Pham Doan Trang (Viet Nam).
Additionally, 70 States joined the cross-regional statement on reprisals led by Ireland and Uruguay, delivered at the General Discussion on the promotion and protection of human rights (item 71) at the General Assembly’s Third Committee.
This is what happened to Loujain and Mohamed, prominent human rights defenders from Saudi Arabia and Egypt respectively.
Meanwhile, Anexa, an Indigenous human rights defender, is unable to return to her home country of Nicaragua, and Kadar from Djibouti had his passport confiscated since 2018, preventing him from leaving the country and doing his work.
IThrough this campaign, we share their stories. These are not just cases of reprisals — they are real lives disrupted, silenced, and confined. But they are also stories of resilience and perseverance for social change.
Loujain Al-Hathloul
Loujain is an iconic figure in Saudi Arabia’s women’s rights movement. She has actively campaigned for women’s rights in the country and against the driving ban imposed on women. She has also publicly and consistently called for the dismantlement of the male guardianship system.
Mohamed El-Baqer is a human rights lawyer from Egypt. He is the director of the Adalah Center for Rights and Freedoms, founded in 2014. It is a non-governmental, independent legal and human rights organisation with a focus on four Programmes: 1) Criminal Justice 2) Student Rights and Academic Freedoms; 3) Refugees; 4) and Minorities. All these Programmes are implemented through legal support and strategic litigation, research, monitoring and documentation, advocacy activities and capacity-building. [https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/laureates/a845697d-4b51-4e7f-b7d0-219c1e18ecd3]
Anexa Alfred Cunningham is a Miskitu Indigenous leader, woman human rights defender, lawyer and expert on Indigenous Peoples’ rights from Nicaragua. She defends the ancestral land and natural resources of Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. She has also worked with Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities to investigate the many abuses they suffer and denounce them to the United Nations. These Peoples face attacks by armed groups who seek to take away their ancestral territory with the State’s approval.
Kadar Abdi Ibrahim is a human rights defender and journalist from Djibouti. He has drawn inspiration from historic figures in the human rights movement in the hopes of building a solid and lasting democracy in his country. From 2015, Kadar was the co-director and chief editor of L’Aurore, Djibouti’s only privately-owned media outlet. In 2016, the newspaper was banned following the publication of a story on one of the victims of the Buldhuqo massacre, crackdown by Djibouti security forces on a religious celebration and a meeting of the opposition on 21 December 2015 that left at least 27 people dead. Kadar is also the president of the political party Movement for Democracy and Freedom (MoDEL) since December 2021. Over the years, Kadar has been arrested several times by the police in an attempt to silence him.
#EndReprisals
Join our campaign by writing a letter to State representatives so they publicly raise the cases of Kadar, Anexa, Loujain and Mohamed at the General Assembly’s Third Committee in New York.
ISHR’s #EndReprisals database
In order to assist stakeholders with research, analysis and action on cases of reprisals and intimidation, ISHR launched an online database compiling cases or situations of intimidation and reprisals documented by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General between 2010 and 2024.
Egyptian media reported on 22 September, 2025, that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had issued a presidential pardon for the imprisoned Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. On 23 September the Guardian, HRW and others reported that the British-Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has indeed been released from jail after serving six years for sharing a Facebook post.
Early on Tuesday morning his campaign said in a statement that Abd el-Fattah was released from Wadi Natron prison and was now in his home in Cairo. “I can’t even describe what I feel,” his mother, Laila Soueif, said from her house in Giza as she stood next to her son surrounded by family and friends. “We’re happy, of course. But our greatest joy will come when there are no [political] prisoners in Egypt,” she added.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah stands next to his mother, Laila Soueif, and sister, Sanaa, at their home in Giza. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters
Amnesty International’s Erika Guevara Rosas said the release was welcome but long overdue. “His pardon ends a grave injustice and is a testament to the tireless efforts of his family and lawyers, including his courageous mother Laila Soueif and activists all over the world who have been relentlessly demanding his release,” she said. The following quote can be attributed to Amr Magdi, senior Middle East and North Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch: “President Sisi’s pardon of the imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah is long overdue good news. Though we celebrate his pardon.
The campaign for Abd el-Fattah’s release was led by his family, including his mother, who was admitted to hospital in London twice after going on hunger strikes trying to secure his release. The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is also known to have telephoned Sisi three times to lobby for Abd el-Fattah’s release. see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2022/07/07/mona-seifs-letter-a-cry-for-help-for-alaa/
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
