The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

Today, we saw in live time what it looks like for Egyptian security and executive interference in the judiciary to take control, for a verdict to be pre-set by decision-makers outside of a courtroom, for years of rule of law violations to go uncriticized. This is that legacy.

There are no words—defense lawyers denied adequate time to review case files, a judge refusing to hear witnesses or review documents, police officers filling the room, the court appointing Lina Attalah a lawyer AGAINST her will and despite her 8-person legal team. For shame.

Following an absolute farcical trial that makes a mockery of the rule of law, an Egyptian court has fined Lina Attalah LE 3 million and ordered the closure of Mada Masr, Egypt's leading independent media outlet, relied on by the world's diplomats, researchers, and scholars.

We're proud to partner with American Nomad for a benefit concert in support of displaced families in Lebanon, taking place at Bossa Bistro & Lounge in Washington, DC on November 13. All proceeds will go to the Lebanese Red Cross. Get your tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/benefit-co...

Looking for a spring internship? Applications for TIMEP’s Spring 2027 Internships are open until November 16! This spring, we will host two internship programs: ⭐ Advocacy ⭐ Legal Remote applicants are welcome, and all interns are compensated. More info here: timep.org/internships/

Security apparatuses in Egypt and MENA use censorship to target media & journalists. In my piece for @timep.bsky.social, I explain the pipeline of censorship & surveillance, what these EU technologies are, and how they work: timep.org/2026/10/13/h... #HumanRights #MENA #Censorship

Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah is among our best and our bravest, and her team at Mada Masr is incredible. Now, Egyptian authorities are trying to go after them. Proud to see @timep.bsky.social among a global coalition of 119 organizations stating that we refuse to let that stand.

As protests among detainees who had been hopeful for the implementation of the Criminal Procedure Code unfold across Egypt, we revisit Dina Kamel's piece, which documents the emotional and economic costs of prison for the families of those detained. timep.org/2025/11/24/e...

📧 Up to date with the Weekly Read? This week's team pick is a piece by @ramyraoof.bsky.social tracing how tech tools sold across MENA by EU countries power repressive security forces in the region. Catch up and subscribe: mailchi.mp/timep/weekly...

Thank you Senator @vanhollen.senate.gov for your leadership in condemning this attack on press freedom in Egypt. The egregious targeting of Mada Masr, following the arrest of the entire @matsadaash.bsky.social newsroom, is a dangerous assault on press freedom. Members of Congress must respond.

كل التضامن مع الصديقة العزيزة لينا عطا الله و مع فريقها المبهر في مدى مصر.  الإعلام المستقل ركن أساسي في أي دولة محترمة، وإحنا كمصريين محظوظين بوجود مدى في وسطنا.

In less than 24 hours, 119 civil society orgs and independent media outlets from around the world have come together to stand in solidarity with Mada Masr Editor-in-Chief Lina Attalah following her referral to trial in Egypt. TIMEP is proud to be among them: timep.org/2026/10/23/u...

Grateful to have US Senator @vanhollen.senate.gov's consistent leadership and vocal advocacy in support of what's right. Today, 119 civil society organizations and independent media outlets from around the world made the same call: Stop the targeting of Lina Attalah and Mada Masr.

في أقل من 24 ساعة، تضامنت أكثر من 119 مؤسسة إعلامية ومنظمة مجتمع مدني حول العالم مع لينا عطا الله رئيسة تحرير مدى مصر، بعد إحالتها إلى المحاكمة بتهمة إدارة موقع إلكتروني دون ترخيص. ويشارك معهد التحرير هذه المؤسسات في إدانة هذا التصعيد الخطير بحق الصحافة في مصر. timep.org/post-arabic/...

NEW: In Egypt, barely a month goes by without a TikToker or social media influencer getting arrested. TIMEP’s Nada Nashat explores how prosecuting women content creators raises questions about the use of “family values” in regulating online expression. timep.org/2026/10/22/p...

“It should not be surprising that the military expects to have a role in any decision on who governs Egypt.” TIMEP’s Deputy Director @tekaldas.bsky.social speaks with @thetimes.com about President Sisi's announcement on succession. www.thetimes.com/world/africa...

➡️ Read ‘How European Surveillance Technology Facilitates Repression in Egypt and MENA’: timep.org/2026/10/13/h...

European surveillance technology continues to enable repression across MENA ⚡️ @timep.bsky.social TimepDC just published an article by @ramyraoof.bsky.social documenting how European surveillance technology facilitates repression in Egypt and MENA.

🚨 ICYMI: Last week, TIMEP hosted a CSPF session at the Annual Meetings on how the IMF can improve outcomes by integrating political economy considerations into its work, especially in fragile contexts. Catch it here: www.imf.org/en/videos/vi...

“A lot could happen in the coming four years… Whatever the real plan is today, there’s no guarantee it'll survive four years of uncertainty and volatility.” TIMEP’s @tekaldas.bsky.social discusses the future of Egypt's presidency with @thenewarab.bsky.social. www.newarab.com/analysis/egy...

EU tech sold across MENA for national security is repurposed for political targeting against activists & journalists. In my new analysis with @timep.bsky.social, I trace how tools from EU nations power repressive security forces: timep.org/2026/10/13/h... #humanrights #surveillance #censorship

NEW: There is now more European Union engagement in Syria than at any point since 2011. In his first piece for TIMEP, Zakaria Al Shmaly analyzes where EU and Syrian interests align and differ and offers recommendations on the EU's engagement looking forward. timep.org/2026/10/21/t...

How European Surveillance Technology Facilitates Repression in Egypt and #MENA. My new piece with @timep.bsky.social maps EU tech exports enabling surveillance, censorship & rights abuses across MENA, the oversight failures behind it: timep.org/2026/10/13/h... #humanrights #surveillance #censorship

"In Oct 2023, I provided expert testimony to a European court investigating surveillance technology used to facilitate human rights abuses across North Africa." In his first @timep.bsky.social piece, @ramyraoof.bsky.social draws the connection between European surveillance tech and MENA repression.

TIMEP was proud to have been a partner for the 2026 edition of Bread&Net. We’re grateful for the opportunity to exchange ideas, reconnect with partners, and engage with the community working to advance digital rights in the MENA region. Thank you, @smex.org, for bringing us together!

🚨 In a powerful act of solidarity, 8 independent media outlets from across the Arab world have come together to set up a flash newsroom that will do the fact-checking and public interest coverage that @matsadaash.bsky.social would normally do if its entire newsroom was not behind bars. (1)

Congrats to the wonderful folks at @smex.org for yet another successful Bread&Net! So proud that @timep.bsky.social was a partner of this consistently fabulous convening once more this year and that we hosted 3 sessions led by Nadine Kheshen, Doug Christensen, and @michatobia.bsky.social.

Also today, at Bread&Net, TIMEP Advocacy Manager Doug Christensen led a dynamic workshop with Jad El Dilati and Dionysia Peppa that invited participants to collectively reimagine what advocacy can look like in a moment of global contestation and international shifts.

Today at Bread&Net, TIMEP organized a session in which @monajem.bsky.social, Marwa Fatafta, and Salma Houerbi, moderated by Nadine Kheshen, came together to regimagine what corporate accountability can look like in an era in which AI, surveillance, and tech harms are intensifying.

NEW: MENA govts are among the top clients in the global digital surveillance market. TIMEP's @ramyraoof.bsky.social breaks down how European surveillance tech continues to enable repression across MENA, as weak EU export controls leave the trade largely unchecked. timep.org/2026/10/13/h...

Thrilled to be back in Beirut for Bread&Net, hosted by the good folks at @smex.org. Truly one of the best convenings in the region and it's an absolute honor to have @timep.bsky.social as a partner of the convening and organizing three sessions this year.

🌟 TIMEP’s MENA Social Night is coming to Beirut! As we prepare to gather as a community for Bread&Net, join the TIMEP team, partners, and friends today, October 13, from 6:30 to 10:00 pm at Salon Beyrouth for an evening of food and drinks. RSVP here: www.eventbrite.com/e/mena-socia...

It's not too late to register for Bread&Net, the region's largest gathering on rights and technology hosted by @smex.org, taking place this year between October 14 and 16. We at TIMEP are proud to be partners of such an important convening. breadandnet.org

That same year, as we marked the ten year anniversary of the Maspero Massacre, the TIMEP team put together a fact sheet to help our readers understand its legacy of impunity. Unfortunately nearly all of it remains true as we now mark 15 years timep.org/2021/10/12/t...

Writing in 2021, @mirayphilips.bsky.social documented how the Maspero Massacre has left an indelible mark, particularly on Egyptian Copts, shaping their activism and identity in significant ways both in Egypt and abroad timep.org/2021/10/09/t...

Last year, @amyfallas.bsky.social wrote about how the Coptic Hospital on Ramses Street became a battleground on that fateful night of October 9, 2011 and what the politics of memory around the massacre look like so many years later timep.org/2025/10/15/a...

As we mark the 15th anniversary of the Maspero Massacre, I'm thinking of the 28 killed and the hundreds injured for whom we have not seen justice. I'm thinking of the stories of survivors the state is trying to erase. I'm also reading some of what @timep.bsky.social has published.

Yesterday, October 9, marked 15 years since Egypt's Maspero Massacre. On that dark day, protesters gathered peacefully following a church demolition. They were met with APCs to run them over, live ammunition, and state incitement. 28 lives taken. Hundreds injured. May we never forget.

TIMEP’s @maitelsadany.bsky.social speaks with Afikra to explore how centering those most impacted can drive meaningful legal advocacy, accountability, and systemic change. Tune in here: explore.afikra.com/podcast-netw...