At a time when Sudan is being torn apart by war, famine, and mass killing and displacement at the hands of both Sudanese militias – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – the case of Lawyer Abo Bakr Mansour Mohamed Hamza shows exactly who pays the price for their struggle for power: ordinary people who try to keep their communities alive.
British-Egyptian writer and activist Alaa Abdel Fattah was released on Monday, 22 September 2025, by a presidential pardon. His release came one year late. He should have walked free in September 2024 after serving his unjust five-year sentence, but the regime refused to count the two years he had already spent in pretrial detention.
Egyptian Trade unionist Shady Mohamed is on hunger strike, his wife has told other activists, protesting against terrible conditions in Burg al-Arab prison where he has been held since last year on charges related to displaying a Palestine solidarity banner. Shady was among 6 people arrested for this simple act of protest and solidarity and…
Kuwaiti blogger Salman Al-Khalidi was extradited from Iraq to Kuwait despite his political refugee status, violating international law. His persecution followed his criticism of Saudi leadership, leading to multiple charges and the revocation of his citizenship. His case underscores the severe repression of free speech in Gulf states and the collaboration between regional authorities.
Leeds University PhD student Salma al-Shehab’s prison sentence has been reduced from 27 years to four years, with an additional four years suspended. However, no release date has been announced. Human rights organizations consider this a minor victory given her unjust treatment for peacefully expressing her views. Her case underscores the Saudi regime’s repression of dissent and basic freedoms. Support for her release must continue.
Laila Soueif, mother of British citizen Alaa Abdel Fattah, a writer, software developer and prominent pro-democracy activist jailed by Egypt’s authoritarian regime for most of the last ten years, will be organising regular protests outside Downing Street from 13 January. Alaa’s case has hit the news in recent months as his family have stepped up…
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…
Cartoonist Ashraf 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…
Update 25 April: all the detainees have been released on bail, but the charges have not been dropped On Tuesday 23 April, Egyptian security forces forcibly dispersed a protest in solidarity with the women of Gaza and Sudan, held outside the headquarters of the UN Women’s regional office in Maadi, Cairo. In the process, they…
By Miriam Scharf The United Arab Emirates is the 19th richest country the world, with GDP of US$44,000 a head, mostly generated from oil exports. The UAE is able to produce oil cheaply, its oil industry is likely to be viable for a long time, and this is the government’s stated intention. COP28’s president-designate Sultan…
MENA Solidarity Network 