The Pan African Network for Artistic Freedom (PANAF) joins other advocacy organizations in urging the Egyptian authorities to immediately end the prolonged and unjust detention of Ashraf Omar, an Egyptian activist, cartoonist, and translator. Mr. Omar has now spent 137 days in pre-trial detention, following seven consecutive extensions of his custody since his arrest at home on July 22, 2023. For two days after his arrest, his whereabouts were unknown until he appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
A contributor to the independent news platform Al-Manassa, Mr. Omar faces accusations of “joining a terrorist group, spreading false information, and abusing social media.” Despite these serious charges, no evidence has been presented against him. His work as a cartoonist, which has focused on Egypt’s economic struggles, including debt crises and power blackouts, has drawn the attention of state authorities. During a six-hour interrogation, he was questioned about whether his cartoons were intended to provoke public unrest.
Reports also allege that Mr. Omar was beaten during his arrest and threatened with electrocution. Since then, he has been held in the 10th of Ramadan Prison, where his contact with family has been limited to a half-hour visit with his wife once a month. His detention is repeatedly extended through video conference hearings, conducted in his absence and without proper consultation with his defense lawyer, raising serious concerns about due process.
Human Rights Watch and other advocacy groups have criticized the continued use of virtual hearings introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that such practices obscure harsh detention conditions and exacerbate long-standing abuses in Egypt’s judicial system.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN, emphasized the broader implications of the case, saying, “Ashraf Omar’s imprisonment is yet another attempt by Egyptian authorities to silence critics and stifle freedom of expression. His cartoons are a legitimate form of commentary, not a crime.”
Ashraf Omar’s situation reflects an alarming trend of criminalizing artistic expression in Egypt, where peaceful dissent is met with harsh penalties. His mistreatment and lack of legal recourse send a clear message of intimidation to other artists and critics.
PANAF supports the undersigned organisations call to the Egyptian authorities to release Ashraf Omar immediately, drop the baseless charges against him, and uphold his fundamental rights. Freedom of expression is not a threat; it is a cornerstone of any just society.
The undersigned organisations call for an end to the needlessly cruel and protracted detention of Ashraf Omar, the dismissal of the baseless criminal charges against him, and for his immediate release and safe return to family and friends.
- Association of Canadian Cartoonists / Association des caricaturistes canadiens (ACC)
- Australian Cartoonists Association
- Cartooning for Peace
- Cartoonists Association of Nigeria (CARTAN)
- Cartoonists Rights
- European Cartoon Award
- Federation of Cartoonists Organisations (FECO)
- Forum for Humor and the Law (FORHUM)
- Freedom Cartoonists Foundation
- Freemuse
- IFEX
- Index on Censorship
- Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
- Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation (PCO)
- Reviewed & Cleared
- Toons Mag
The strory was originally published by: Cartoonists for Peace.
