The Freedom Initiative
@thefreedomi
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A U.S.-based non-partisan human rights organization that advocates for the freedom of prisoners wrongfully detained in the Middle East and North Africa.
Joined September 2013
📢We've moved! Follow us at our new account at: @MideastDC . For more information on the Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC), a new organization formed from a merger of the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) & the Freedom Initiative, visit:.
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عيش حرية عدالة إجتماعية. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the #Jan25 Revolution. We commemorate the ideas that inspired Egyptians from all walks of life. To those killed, imprisoned, & driven away: Your ideas are eternal b/c #IdeasDontDie . #٢٥_يناير.#الفكرة_مش_بتموت
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🚨 NEW: Saudi women’s rights activist & academic Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison + 34 year travel ban for tweets calling for basic rights in the KSA. This is the longest known sentence against a women's rights defender in the country.
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This year’s Egypt Advocacy Day has 85+ participants from 25+ states & 5 countries. Discussion Panels, Advocacy workshops, entertainment, hill meetings & congressional briefing. Star Guests: @amrwaked, @kalnaga & @youssef_hussen . March 24th & 25th in Washington D.C. #EgyptDay
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On October 2, 2018, journalist Jamal Khashoggi walked inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He never made it out alive. His fiancée @mercan_resifi’s message to the world: Hold MBS accountable. #JusticeforJamal
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While #Saudi authorities boast to the world that they are improving women’s rights, Salma al-Shehab's abhorrent sentence shows that the situation is only getting worse. #SaudiArabia must #FreeSalma so she can reunite with her children & return to the UK to complete her studies.
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For Egyptian President @AlsisiOfficial's 66th birthday, we're highlighting just 66 of the 60k+ prisoners of conscience languishing in his notorious prisons. في يوم #عيد_ميلاد_السيسي ال ٦٦، حبينا نفكركم ب ٦٦ من معتقلي الرأي في ٦٦ ثانيه! وعمرنا ما هننسى ال ٦٠ الف في سجون السيسي.
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The Jamal Khashoggi Way sign outside the Saudi Embassy in DC. This sign now stands as a powerful reminder to those complicit in the brutal murder of Jamal: We'll keep fighting until all those responsible are held to account. #JusticeForJamal
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.@LoujainHathloul wherever you are, we wish you a happy 31st birthday. We wish you freedom. We wish you justice. #FreeLoujain. & to everyone, please share your happy birthday video to Loujain. @LinaAlhathloul
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FI dedicates this #GivingTuesday to the fight to end medical negligence of political prisoners. With your support we can help bring innocent people home before it's too late. Visit our campaign page & help us reach our goal to raise $10,000 in 24 hours!
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English actor Joseph Fiennes joins calls to #FreeThemAll. "I'm proud to wear white [during #COP27] in solidarity with Egypt's tens of thousands of political prisoners, including Alaa Abd El-Fattah, the British citizen who is on hunger strike & close to death.". @Monasosh @sana2
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Salma al-Shehab is a mother of two young boys, aged 4 & 6. She was detained while on vacation in #SaudiArabia days before she had planned to return to her residence in the UK, where she was a PhD candidate at @UniversityLeeds.
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📺 WATCH: Thank you .@ChrisMurphyCT for condemning the Egyptian regime's human rights abuses & calling on the Biden administration to NOT waive the human rights condition on this year's military aid. Watch full video: #NoMoreBlankChecks
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We joined 50 other human rights organizations in calling for the release of Dr. Salah Soltan, an arbitrarily detained academic in #Egypt. Soltan, a US legal permanent resident, continues to face reprisals due to his son’s human rights work in the US.
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"What is the carbon footprint of the Egyptian military's mega-projects? What is the carbon footprint of Sisi's new capital?". "There is no way. local climate activists [could raise] such concerns [during COP27]. Not because they wouldn't want to, but because they can't" -@sana2
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Ahead of #COP27, #Egypt's President @AlsisiOfficial calls into a television program - following criticism from the head of a political party - and threatens anyone who dares question his authority. “I am privy to everything! I know everyone's past!”⬇️
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A successful meeting with Senator @ewarren’s office! @kalnaga and @amrwaked are, advocating for the return of hope and humanity in the soul of Egypt— that starts with speaking out against constitutional amendments! Come through to the briefing at 4PM! #EAD2019 #EngageChange
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We’re not crying, you are!. We too have hope that all political prisoners will be free!. #RamyIsFree.
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Alaa Abd El-Fattah has spent most of the last decade behind bars for daring to fight for a better #Egypt. He's on his 102nd day on hunger strike & time is running out to save his life. @POTUS, stay true to your promise to put human rights first & say @Alaa's name. #SayTheirNames
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🚨 US citizen Sherif Osman is free 🕊️. He has been released after 46 days of unjust detention in Dubai, following a request by #Egypt to arrest him in retaliation for his calls for protests. Sherif must be allowed to return safely to the US and reunite with his fiancée.
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A humanitarian aid worker, son, brother, friend, & cat lover. Today marks 3 years since Abdulrahman AlSadhan was taken by Saudi officials from his job at @ifrc. 3 years. 36 months. 1095 days. #FreeSadhan.#الحرية_لعبدالرحمن_السدحان. (video narrated by @AreejASadhan)
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@elonmusk @Alwaleed_Talal @Twitter @Kingdom_KHC Freedom of speech in the Kingdom? Here's what happens to young aid workers in Saudi Arabia when they make satirical Twitter accounts:
Today marks 4 years since Abdelrahman Al-Sadhan was arrested in Saudi. He was disappeared, tortured, and detained for 3 years only to be sentenced to 20 years in prison in a sham trial. Now he has once again been forcibly disappeared. Join us in calling to #FreeSadhan
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Join us & a panel of experts this Tuesday as we dive deep into our new report “No One is Safe: Sexual Violence Throughout the Life Cycle of Detention in Egypt.”. You won't want to miss this. Sign up now:.
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"There is no room to investigate the environmental impact on the local community [in Edku]. Why? Because researchers get arrested and they die in Egyptian prisons." -@sana2 testifies before @EP_HumanRights about #Egypt's environmental and human rights record ahead of #COP27.
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🚨 BREAKING: Saudi activist Mohammed al-Rabiah has been sentenced to 17 years in prison. He was supposed to be released in September after completing a six-year sentence for his women's rights activism.
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A picture worth a thousand emotions. Egyptian journalists, Solafa Magdy and Hossam alSayyad released & reunited with their family. Their son, Khaled, now has both of his parents back. Both had been arrested since Nov 2019. #Egypt
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لا تفوتوا الحفل المباشر لاعلان جوائز مسابقة #الفكرة_مش_بتموت حيث سنقوم بعرض الأعمال الفائزة مع @Amrwaked @RashaRizk_TW @ganzeer @ghadaoueiss حامد موسى وريمكس. موعدنا يوم ٢٥ يناير الساعة ٢ بعد الظهر بتوقيت واشنطن على جميع حساباتنا بوسائل التواصل الاجتماعي!
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🚨 URGENT: @HossamAlGhamry, a TV presenter at @ElsharqTV, has been arrested in #Turkey & faces imminent deportation to #Egypt for joining calls to protest on 11/11 during #COP27. Join us in telling Turkey to release AlGhamry NOW.
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WATCH: The 12 men's families haven't seen them in years, their crime? They are political adversaries of the current Egyptian regime. Stand with them, it's a matter of life and death. RT #StopEgyExecutions to STOP this injustice NOW
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Dr. Ahmed Abdelsattar - a veterinarian, activist, and the father of @Yale PhD student Muhammad Amasha - was forcibly disappeared and subjected to brutal torture and sexual assault in #Egypt. Watch @ChrisMurphyCT raise his case on the Senate floor:
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🚨BREAKING | Saudi-American political prisoners Dr. Bader al-Ibrahim and Salah al-Haidar have been temporarily released from Saudi prisons after 307 days in arbitrary detention. This is welcomed progress that we hope is built on for the release of others. Full statement 👇🏽
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After 10 long years of unjust imprisonment in #SaudiArabia, 10 years separated from his wife @miss9afi & missing his kids grow up, Raif Badawi was set to be released yesterday. Instead, he is still being held without legal basis. #FreeRaif NOW.
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We are also super enthused to announce that Joe Show team is joining us in DC for #EgyptDay. Our participants and guests are looking forward to seeing @youssef_hussen, one of the region’s most watched satirists. #EgyptDay
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Join us LIVE on our social media platforms for the #IdeasDontDie Awards Show this Monday, #Jan25 2 PM ET! Moderated by @ghadaoueiss ft our esteemed Judges @RashaRizk_TW @ganzeer @amrwaked, @HamedMousa & Reemixx!. Winning music, short films & 2D art submissions will be presented
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"'I'm here to do my best to try and shed light on my brother's case and to save him,'" said @sana2 upon her arrival in #Egypt. Sanaa's brother, British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, will die before the end of #COP27 unless @RishiSunak acts.
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Congratulations to our founder, @soltan, for winning the James W. Foley American Hostage Freedom Award last night in Washington, DC!
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WATCH: @AreejASadhan wishes her brother, Abdulrahman Alsadhan a happy birthday. Today, he spends his 4th birthday unjustly imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. We at Fi, wish him freedom on his birthday!. Retweet & wish Sadhan a happy birthday! #FreeSadhan
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من ١٠ سنين تجمع الملايين في جميع أنحاء مصر مطالبين بـ"عيش، حرية، عدالة اجتماعية!". #٢٥يناير ٢٠٢١ يصادف الذكرى ١٠ للثورة المصرية. هنكرم الي ناضلوا من أجل الحرية وحلموا بيها بمسابقة #الفكرة_مش_بتموت. جوايز تزيد قيمتها عن ١٠ آلاف دولار! ابعت ابدعاتك على
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ممكن تعرفونه من 'سيريانا' أو مسلسل 'رامي'. الفنان @amrwaked سيعمل في لجنة التحكيم لمسابقة الفكرة بش بتموت الإبداعية!. انضم إلينا مباشرة يوم الإثنين 25 يناير للاحتفال بالجوائز حيث نعرض المشاريع الفائزة!. يبدأ البث المباشر في الساعة 2 مساءً على جميع منصات التواصل الاجتماعي!
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Ahmed Ossama Yassin remembers his father, facing imminent execution in Egypt: . ". I can picture my father's charcoal eyes; I try to remember how they looked without soundproof glass in between. How can such brilliant eyes go blank?". RT: #SavetheirLives #StopEgyExecutions
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Saudi blogger Raif Badawi spent 10 years in prison for "insulting Islam." Although released this year, Raif remains trapped under an unlawful travel ban, unable to reunite with his wife & three children in Canada. @POTUS, keep your promise to center human rights. #SayTheirNames
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The Egyptian regime is trying to exterminate its political adversaries, upholding the death sentences of 12 men from the political opposition. Call your Senator/Rep today or call DOS # (202) 647-6575). Your call is the difference between life & death. #StopEgyExecutions
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On the eve of the 11th anniversary of #Jan25, a day when Egyptians took to the streets in mass to protest police brutality, these videos are evidence that widespread abuses in police stations & jails have only worsened.
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You may know him from Syriana or the hit series 'Ramy'. @amrwaked is serving as a judge in the #IdeasDontDie creative contest! . Join us LIVE this Monday, January 25th, for the #IdeasDontDie Awards Show. Livestream will begin at 2 PM on all our social media platforms!
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Salma al-Shehab is a 3⃣4⃣ year old mother of two boys. She was sentenced to 3⃣4⃣ years in jail followed by a 3⃣4⃣ year travel ban in #SaudiArabia. How old will she be when she's free? .1⃣0⃣2⃣ years old. How old will her boys be? .7⃣4⃣ & 7⃣2⃣. We won't let it stand. #FreeSalma
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🚨 US citizen Carly Morris has been detained in #SaudiArabia. The whereabouts of her eight-year-old daughter are unknown. Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Morris and allow her and her daughter to come home to the US.
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Check it out! @youssef_hussen released an all new episode featuring @amrwaked about this past #EAD2019 addressing the Egyptian Actors’ Syndicate’s recent decision to expel actors @amrwaked and @kalnaga.
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What would you do if your father unjustly endured torture and deprivation? What if your family was barred from being a part of your life for seven years?. Dr. Ossama Yassin has faced enough. RT #SaveYassin and speak against this injustice NOW!. #SaveTheirLives #StopEgyExecutions
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This Ramadan, don't forget the wrongfully detained. Donate today to help us free political prisoners in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Visit:
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In #Egypt, prison conditions kill. Mahmoud Othman, a 64-year-old engineer and father of five, was detained just six months ago. This week, he died inside Burg Al Arab Prison. He is at least the 18th death in Egyptian detention centers this year.
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A resolution by @ChrisMurphyCT & @SenMikeLee would require @StateDept to submit a report on human rights in #SaudiArabia within 30 days, or security assistance will be cut off. “U.S. weapons don't belong in the hands of human rights abusers." -@SenMikeLee
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📢Egypt Update:. 10 members of Congress sent a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, & Related Programs requesting a reduction of military aid to #Egypt unless the country meets certain human rights conditions.
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Dare to hope. Dare to dream. Because #IdeasDontDie. In prison cells. In exile. In the hearts of millions who continue to dream of a better tomorrow. #MyJan25 #Jan25 #لساها_ثورة_يناير
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📢 ANNOUNCEMENT to all creatives: We are so excited to announce that filmmaker and actor @amrwaked will serve as a judge in our #IdeasDontDie creative contest! . Visit for details and deadlines! #Jan25. You’ll have a chance to win up to $2.5k!
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While you cast your ballot today, there is an American citizen who isn’t able to vote. Why? . He has been unjustly detained in Saudi Arabia since April 2019 & is under a travel ban in Saudi Arabia. Here’s 3 of 20 #MBSCrimes @G20org is covering up. #G20SaudiArabia
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Fighting for human rights in the Middle East has become very dangerous. @AmrWaked shares his gratitude and appreciation to those brave enough to take part.
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We have just received approval from the @DCPoliceDept for an assembly procession for this Thursday. We are organizing a drive-thru birthday for @LoujainHathloul at the @SaudiEmbassyUSA . Stay tuned for more details!
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While Sisi-Trump have their first meeting, there are at least 7 American unjustly detained in #Egypt's prisons #FreedomFirst
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Award-winning actor @amrwaked takes the stage and discusses the importance of establishing powerful messages as influencers. “I want more of happiness. I want more of freedom. I want more of liberty.” #EAD2019 #EngageChange #Egypt
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October 2 will mark 5 years since the brutal murder of @PostOpinions columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Join us on the anniversary from 1:00-2:00PM ET for a virtual discussion as we commemorate Jamal's life and legacy. #JusticeForJamal. For more information:
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.@LouiseLevonian Hisham Genina was imprisoned in Egypt in 2016 for calling out money lost due to govt corruption. We are concerned about corruption in Egypt & protection for ppl auditing the utilization of the $5.2B relief fund. We sent you a letter asking that you #DelayTheVote
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"We've been promised a lot. nothing changed - and even worse than this, people are getting arrested [in Saudi Arabia] for retweeting me," Saudi activist @LinaAlhathloul tells @mehdirhasan.
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The Freedom Initiative welcomes the news of the release of Dr. Abdulaziz al-Dukheil after over a year of wrongful detention in Saudi Arabia. We call on Saudi to release all wrongful detainees & ensure their right to freely exit the country. #StandwithSaudiHeroes
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"They will rehabilitate MBS who killed Jamal Khashoggi, who tortured my sister. if we don't make sure that he is held accountable for all these violations, we are creating a monster that won't be stopped. he will become the new Putin.".- @LinaAlhathloul.
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Terrible news out of #Egypt:. The parents & younger sister of Abdelrahman Elshweikh have been arrested by state security forces after his mother shared the torture & sexual assault of her son in jail. #انقذوا_أسرة_عبدالرحمن_الشويخ
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Imagine being unjustly detained, tortured for months & on the verge of dying. Then years later when you try to hold your torturer accountable for his crimes, the US @StateDept certifies your torturer's immunity. This is @soltanlife’s story. Watch:
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We are thrilled to announce that Andrea Prasow has officially stepped into her new role as the Executive Director of @TheFreedomi. Listen to @Soltan & @AndreaPrasow reflect on the transition and share some of Fi's exciting plans for the new year. #FreedomInitiative
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Ahead of the Sisi-Trump visit, protestors attend our silent protest to demand that human rights is part of the convo #FreedomFirst #Sisi
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في خلال ايام قليلة سنعلن عن تفاصيل مسابقة الفكرة لا تموت! سيتم فتح باب التقدم قريبا جدا وسيكون آخر موعد للتقديم يوم ٢٠ يناير ٢٠٢١ الساعة ١١:٥٩ مساءً بتوقيت نيويورك.
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More than 1300 days unjustly detained. 9 months forcibly disappeared. Seif Fateen is an MIT-educated professor of engineering & father of 7 held in #Egypt on bogus charges in conditions so inhumane that he’s developed medical complications. It's time to #FreeSeifFateen.
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These are the moments we fight for! ❤️. Sherif Osman is HOME in the US and reunited with his fiancée, who fought tirelessly for his release during his over 40 days of unjust detention in Dubai. Here’s to more families reuniting in 2023. 🕊️ #HopeAgainstAllOdds
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Yesterday, we got the word out across Washington, DC about impending executions in Egypt, with this truck message. There's still time to demand a stop to this injustice. Text RESIST to 50409 to msg Congress to stop these executions NOW. RT #SaveTheirLives #StopEgyExecutions
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Yesterday, on the 10th anniversary of the #Jan25 revolution, Egyptian cartoonist @drAshrafHamdi was arrested for publishing this video. The video is dedicated to the heroes of the Mohamed Mahmoud standoff. #NotaNumber .
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EXCITING NEWS: @HoltMcCallany will be joining us tomorrow during our Ideas Don’t Die live awards show as we commemorate the 10th year anniversary of the January 25th Egyptian Revolution. Join us live at 2pm ET on our social media pages.
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We appreciate Senator @ChrisMurphyCT's question during the SFRC hearing regarding accountability for the death of American citizen Mustafa Kassem, who died of neglect in Egyptian prison earlier this year
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Thank you to everyone who joined us at the @SaudiEmbassyUSA ystd in honor of Loujain's birthday! @codepink . @LoujainHathloul, we all wish you a happy birthday & we wish that on your next birthday you will be celebrating it w/ your loved ones. #FreeLoujain #ميلاد_العظيمه_لجين
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📢Egypt Update:. Great news! Egyptian journalist Khaled Dawoud was released from prison last night & is now with his family. Khaled was arrested in 2019 for calling for an investigation into corruption claims against Sisi's regime.
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Today marks one year that activist and blogger @alaa and his lawyer, Mohamed Baqer, have been detained. Their continued detention, despite global calls for release, demonstrate two of prominent cases among tens of thousands unjustly held in detention in Egypt #FreeAlaa #FreeBaqer
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Nine years ago, #Egypt carried out the largest mass killing of protestors in the country's modern history. Nine years on, no one has been held to account & 1000s remain unjustly detained. Today, we vow to keep fighting for the freedom of the wrongfully detained. #RememberRabaa
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“If you have to put oil over values. can you at least ask where is Jamal's body? Doesn't he deserve a proper burial? And what's happened to his killers?". Watch @mercan_resifi's powerful address from today's ceremony, including a message to @POTUS ahead of his trip to Saudi. ⬇️
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Women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul spent 1,001 days in prison for demanding that women be allowed to drive in #SaudiArabia. Although released in 2021, Loujain remains trapped under travel ban, unable to reunite with family abroad. #SayTheirNames #LetThemFly🕊️
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⚡ Storm Starts NOW.Upholding the death penalty verdict for these 12 members of the political opposition in Egypt is a gross miscarriage of justice. No government should have the power to silence the opposition by sentencing them to death. RT & SHARE #StopEgyExecutions
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For Immediate Release | Fi has a new🚨 Executive Director. Join us in welcoming @andreaprasow!. Full statement👇🏽.
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As President Biden is fist bumping the Saudi Crown Prince, @LinaAlhathloul, the sister of human rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, has a message to @POTUS:
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اشتهر بفن الشارع الثوري المذهل خلال الثورة المصرية! متحمسون جدًا أن @ganzeer يعمل في لجنة التحكيم!. انضم إلينا على الهواء مباشرة يوم الإثنين ،٢٥ يناير لي إعلان الجوائز لمسابقة الفكرة مش بتوت!. سيبدأ البث المباشر في الساعة 2 مساءً على جميع صفحات وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي
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Upcoming Event in DC!. What: Constitutionalizing Authoritarianism in Egypt . When: March 25th @ 4 PM. Where: 902 Hart Senate Building. Who: @amrwaked, @kalnaga, @sarahmargon, @DaliaFFahmy, and @BaheyHassan. Remarks by @Malinowski and other Members (schedule permitting)
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📺 WATCH: No matter how the Egyptian government might try to erase our memory of it, the Rabaa massacre can never be erased. Tomorrow is the 8th anniversary of the Rabaa massacre. August 14, 2013, will never be forgotten. #RememberRabaa
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We are thrilled to welcome prominent human rights defender Abdullah Alaoudh to the Freedom Initiative as our inaugural Saudi Director!. With @aalodah in this key leadership role, we're ready to reunite even more families torn apart by wrongful detention ➡️
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Seif Fateen, a dedicated educator, is a professor of engineering with a PhD in chemical engineering from MIT.
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