Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar arrested and blindfolded by security forces
On Monday morning, security forces apprehended Egyptian cartoonist and translator Ashraf Omar, as reported by Mada Masr. Surveillance footage from the couple's West Cairo residence, reviewed by Omar's wife—who was absent at the time—captures officials arriving at 1:30 am and the artist being taken away blindfolded around 2:10 am. Over the last month, Omar's cartoons, which have been seen by AFP, have critiqued Egypt's electricity issues, national debt, and the sale of state assets to Gulf investors. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s repressive regime has frequently targeted satirical cartoonists, with Reporters Without Borders ranking Egypt among the bottom ten for press freedom. In previous incidents, Islam Gawish and Ashraf Hamdi were also arrested for similar reasons.
Key facts
- Ashraf Omar, a cartoonist and translator, was arrested by Egyptian security forces on Monday morning.
- The arrest occurred at 1:30am at his West Cairo home, and he was blindfolded and led away 40 minutes later.
- Omar's wife reviewed home security footage; she was not at home at the time.
- Recent cartoons by Omar satirized Egypt's electricity crisis, national debt, and sale of state assets to Gulf interests.
- Egypt's government under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has a history of targeting satirical cartoonists.
- Egypt ranks in the bottom ten countries for press freedom according to Reporters Without Borders.
- Previous arrests include Islam Gawish in 2016 and Ashraf Hamdi in 2021.
- Journalist Khaled Mamdouh was arrested earlier this month, joining 23 other media workers in detention.
Entities
Artists
- Ashraf Omar
- Islam Gawish
- Ashraf Hamdi
Institutions
- Mada Masr
- AFP
- Reporters Without Borders
Locations
- West Cairo
- Egypt