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 house and when he was presented to the Supreme State Security Prosecution for charging.
Ashraf, whose work appears in Al-Manassa, has been a vocal critic of the Egyptian government. He’s being charged with “joining a terrorist group, publishing false news, and misusing social media.”
His arrest has set off an international protest. Cartooning for Peace, Cartoonists Rights Network, Artist at Risk. A number of UK cartoonists are demanding his release.
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, Dave Brown
According to Reporters without Borders, Ashraf is one of 14 Egyptian journalists being held by the Egyptian government and only six have been tried.