Prominent cartoonists in Britain have rallied behind Ashraf Omar, the Egyptian cartoonist seized by police from his home in a dawn raid on 22 July. Steve Bell, Martin Rowson, Andy Davey, Dave Brown and Tim Sanders launched a call for Omar’s release in an open letter published by MENA Solidarity on 4 August.

Our colleague Ashraf Omar has been seized from his home by the Egyptian authorities and taken to an unknown destination. No explanation has been given but it is clear he has broken no laws with his cartoons. This is an outrageous contravention of freedom of speech and basic human rights. Ashraf is a brave commentator on Egyptian and Middle East events and has not been afraid to criticise the government of Egypt. It is this fearlessness that has earned him the vengeance of this brutal state. As cartoonists, we always stand for liberty and defend the right to speak truth to power, often invoked but rarely defended by politicians. We call on the Egyptian government to release Ashraf and abide by international law and the basic universal respect for freedom of expression.
Steve Bell, Martin Rowson, Andy Davey, Tim Sanders

Omar was seized from his home by Egyptian police early on 22 July and taken away to an unknown destination, his wife told independent news website Mada Masr. Colleagues at the independent website where he worked, al-Manassa, are calling on the Egyptian Journalists’ Union to demand his immediate release. Nora Younis, al-Manassa’s editor said “the cartoons of our colleague Ashraf Omar did not violate any law nor attack anyone, and therefore Al-Manassa considers it unacceptable that he was taken away blindfolded at dawn.”

In addition to his work for al-Manassa, Omar is also well-known as a translator of journalism and political theory. 

The Egyptian Journalists’ Union Freedoms Committee issued a statement condemning his arrest and the union’s president Khaled El-Balshy has filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor demanding the release of Omar and 22 other journalists currently detained.

In its statement the Freedoms Committee emphasised “its full solidarity with colleague Ashraf Omar and his right to practice his journalistic work, which relies on drawing cartoons. “Al-Manassa” website announced that the colleague published some drawings about the electricity crisis and the economic crises facing citizens, which the Freedoms Committee considers an inherent right of the journalist who expresses the suffering of citizens through his drawings.”

What you can do:

• Write to the Egyptian embassy in your country calling for Ashraf Omar’s immediate release and urging an end to the persecution of journalists 
• If you are a cartoonist and would like to add your name to the open letter calling for Ashraf Omar’s release, please go here for more info.
• Pass a resolution in your union branch calling for Ashraf Omar’s release – see the full statement of solidarity from the Egyptian Journalists Union here

In the UK write to: 

Ambassador Sherif Kamel
Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt
26 South Street, W1K 1DW
Fax: 020 7491 1542
E-mail address: egtamboff@gmail.com  Egyemb2020@gmail.com 

In Egypt write to: 

Minister of Interior
Mahmoud Tawfiq
Ministry of the Interior
25 El Sheikh Rihan Street Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt
Fax: +202 2794 5529
Email: center@iscmi.gov.eg  or E.HumanRightsSector@moi.gov.eg 
Twitter: @moiegy