Alaa is FREE!

We hardly believe we are writing these words, but it’s true: after years of tireless campaigning by family, friends, and civil society worldwide, Alaa Abd El Fattah has finally been released from prison. After spending more than a decade repeatedly and unlawfully detained, the Egyptian-British human rights activist was granted an official pardon from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi this week, alongside five other political prisoners. While this is a welcome ray of hope, we echo the words of Alaa’s mother Laila Soueif, who spent more than 250 days on a hunger strike to secure her son’s release: “Our greatest joy will come when there are no [political] prisoners in Egypt.” Read more via Access Now

Dig deeper

Dozens of arrests, one message: human rights advocacy is a crime in Egypt

Until this week, Alaa was one of an estimated 60,000 political prisoners (the government refuses to release exact figures) that the Egyptian regime has repeatedly jailed, including artists, journalists, lawyers, students, protesters and their families, opposition politicians, and even children. These prisoners are cut off from the outside world and held in deplorable conditions, with some dying in custody for exercising their basic human rights. Alaa’s freedom should be only the beginning; we urge Egyptian authorities to release all remaining prisoners of conscience. Read more via OCCRP

UN report highlights reprisals against human rights defenders in MENA

Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, those who dare to speak up for human rights are routinely persecuted by their own governments. A new UN report on intimidation and reprisals against those cooperating with the UN documents this rising trend, which threatens rights defenders in MENA countries and around the world. Read more via MENA Rights Group

READ: “You have not yet been defeated”

Even while jailed, Alaa continued to speak up for democracy, justice, and human rights, and many of his writings were smuggled out of prison to be compiled for his book, You have not yet been defeated. To mark his release from prison, publishers have made the English-language e-book edition free to download. You can also watch the virtual reading, a solidarity event organized in 2021 by Access Now and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP). READ MORE via Free Alaa

When the frontlines are online

LISTEN: “A ceasefire for the digital age”

In the past two decades, the digital dimension of warfare has expanded immensely, from Russia’s documented use of disinformation in Ukraine, to military factions wielding internet shutdowns in Sudan, to Israel’s reported use of AI to target airstrikes in Gaza. Yet it remains excluded from discussions about how to suspend hostilities, end conflicts, and build lasting peace. Speaking to Somewhere On Earth, Access Now’s Marwa Fatafta and Giulio Coppi explain why traditional ideas of what constitutes a ceasefire need to be updated, and why tech companies should be held accountable if their products and services are used to harm civilians. Tune in via Somewhere On Earth

Time to end Sudan’s isolation; lift the WhatsApp block now

Internet shutdowns have become “part of the toolkit of war,” and the Sudanese Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority (TPRA) recently blocked WhatsApp citing security concerns. With a bloody civil war raging, the blocking represents an escalation of an already dire telecommunications blackout that has left more than 30 million people in the dark for over 18 months. We urge the TPRA to immediately restore full access to WhatsApp voice and video calls, and stop putting people in further danger. Read more via Access Now

The shutdowns don’t stop

Q&A: Africa's internet shutdowns double in less than a decade

Access Now’s Felicia Anthonio talks to Context about the new book she co-edited, Internet shutdowns in Africa: technology, rights, and power, unpacking some of its key findings, and highlighting the methods activists are using to combat network disruptions in Africa. Want to learn more? Pre-order the paperback or download the book for free. Read more via Context

The revolution will be digitized

The internet still bites back: the role played by Discord in Nepal’s uprising

It appears that social media may have marked the beginning of the end for Nepal’s fallen government. Angered by lavish displays of wealth posted online, young people took to the streets, even as authorities tried to squash dissent by blocking social media. In an op-ed for The Economic Times, Access Now’s Raman Jit Singh Chima explores how the internet can still be used to “bite back” against rising authoritarianism — a lesson he argues other countries in the region should heed. Read more via The Economic Times

Opportunities and other highlights

Catch up with us at #PrivacyCamp25!

Are you headed to Brussels, Belgium for #PrivacyCamp25 on September 30, or joining online? We hope you tune into sessions with Access Now’s Anastasiya Zhyrmont on AI surveillance in Eurasia, and with Caterina Rodelli on deregulation vs. securitization in the realm of digital rights. Check out the full program. Read more via EDRi

APPLY: Executive Director @ Statewatch

Our #ProtectNotSurveil coalition partner Statewatch, which works to expose and oppose state secrecy, surveillance, repression, and violence, is seeking a new executive director to lead the organization into its 35th year and beyond. Learn more about the role and apply. Read more via Statewatch

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