Index on Censorship, a British non-profit organization that campaigns for freedom of expression worldwide, has nominated Ashraf Omar for their 2026 Freedom of Expression Award in the category of Arts. The arts category “celebrates artists and arts producers whose work challenges repression and injustice and defends artistic freedom”Other nominees in the Arts category include Iranian […]
Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar remains in jail after the prosecution’s first witness failed to show up for today’s trial. It is the third time the witness, the investigative officer in his case, was absent.A new trial date has been sent for December 14. Omar has been in jail since July 2024. Visit our archive for […]
The trial for Egyptian cartoonist and translator Ashraf Omar has been delayed yet again. Last May the trial was pushed back until today for reasons of “witness discussion.” The new trial date, set for October, is to allow for “for the presence of the first witness (the investigative officer) and its discussion” according to a […]
The trial for Egyptian cartoonist and translator Ashraf Omar was to begin yesterday, but has been delayed until July 13 for reasons of “witness discussion” according to Ashraf’s attorney, Khaled Ali. Ashraf has been in custody since detained since July 2024 on four charges after he was arrested and seized from his home. The current […]
Cartoonist Ashraf Omar will be tried in Egyptian court beginning May 10. He’s been detained since July 2024 on four charges. According to his lawyer, three charges have been dropped but the prosecution added a new charge and will move forward to charges related to terrorism.The Initial charges are:Charges 1, 3, and 4 have been dropped […]
Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar has been referred to criminal court. Ashraf has been detained since July of 2024 on charges of joining a terrorist group, publishing false news, and misusing social media. The latest move advances Egypt’s effort to sentence Ashraf. Since his arrest Egypt’s State Security Prosecution has not provided evidence of his alleged […]
Everywhere around the world… Zehra ÖmeroğluIt was back in May we reported: Cartoonists Rights has bestowed the 2025 Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award 2025 on Zehra Ömeroğlu, a Turkish cartoonist, who has been the target of criminal prosecution for a cartoon that was published in 2020 and faces a three year prison sentence. Well […]
Nada Mougheeth, wife of imprisoned Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar, was arrested last month after speaking to a reporter about her husbands detention and alleged abuse. She was charged with “accused of joining a terrorist organization and spreading false news” according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Ahmed Serag, the journalist who conducted the interview with […]
Earlier this morning, 34 international organizations representing freedom of press, speech and journalism released a statement condemning Egypts detention of cartoonist Ashraf Omar along with other journalists. The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) released the following statement: The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists condemns in the strongest possible terms the arrest and detention of […]
Thirty-four organizations representing freedom of press, speech and journalism have condemned Egypt’s arrest and disappearance of Egyptian journalists and cartoonist Ashraf Omar and are calling for their immediate release. They note that there are 11 other journalists that have been detained for over two years without trial.From their press release: The Committee to Protect Journalists […]
In what is becoming an unsettling pattern, an Egyptian state security prosecutor extended the detention for cartoonist Ashraf Omar for yet another two weeks. It is his fourth extension since he was abducted from his home in July by plainclothes officers.Ashraf, whose work appears in Al-Manassa, has been a vocal critic of the Egyptian government. He’s being […]
The Egyptian state security prosecutor extended the detention of cartoonist Ashraf Omar for another 15 days. Ashraf was taken from his home in a midnight raid on July 22. His detention has been extended once before. He has been charged with “being involved in a terrorist group, disseminating false news and misusing social media tools.”The […]
Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar was seized on July 22 by plainclothes officers from his home in Giza in the middle of the night. While official documents report he was arrested on July 24, Ashraf’s wife, Nada Mougheeth, and their attorney accuse Egyptian security forces of torturing Ashraf between the time he was seized from his […]