Tag: Human rights

Egypt

Sunset in the black hole: 500 days in prison

CAIRO: “I have been kidnapped and imprisoned, for almost sixteen months now. 500 days in prison, without committing any crime. My family are unable to negotiate my release. I am an innocent man.” This is how an open letter from 27-year-old Egyptian photojournalist, Mahmoud Abou Zeid – also known as “Shawkan” – begins. Shawkan was arrested on 14 August 2013, whilst photographing the forced clearance … Continue reading Sunset in the black hole: 500 days in prison

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Beaten & begging: all India’s parties ignore the “untouchable” widows

  Last December, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Maitri India found 95-year-old widow Kanchan Dal living and begging on the streets of Radhakund, a small village a few kilometres outside of Vrindavan. Now she is sitting on her bed in Maitri’s recently constructed emergency shelter. Stick-like limbs poke out of her sari at various angles and her right eye is covered by a cloudy cataract. She says she … Continue reading Beaten & begging: all India’s parties ignore the “untouchable” widows

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LGBT Russians attempt to take refuge in the UK

The message delivered to Irina Putilova’s friend, a fellow political activist in Russia, was blunt: “You should stop your activities, otherwise you might lose both your legs.” It was not an idle threat. A short time later, Putilova’s friend was attacked in the park and, as promised, both his legs were broken. Soon afterwards, she began receiving similar emails: “Do you want to get the same? Aren’t … Continue reading LGBT Russians attempt to take refuge in the UK

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Egypt

‘The Square’: Egypt’s three-year tumult

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness, suggests The Square, Jehane Noujaim’s Oscar-nominated documentary, as it begins with the striking of a flame that illuminates a group of activists sitting in an all-too-common Egyptian power cut. Noujaim follows the activists over the course of two-and-a-half years as they struggle in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to keep their revolution from being snuffed out. Released on Netflix … Continue reading ‘The Square’: Egypt’s three-year tumult

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Egypt

Whatever happened to the Egyptian Revolution?

An incident last June, a few days before Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Mursi was ousted by the military, made Ahmed realise there had been a significant shift in the country’s political atmosphere. A secular activist in Egypt’s revolution that emerged from the Arab Spring uprisings, Ahmed had always staunchly opposed both the security forces and the Muslim Brotherhood. But that day last June, as he chanted … Continue reading Whatever happened to the Egyptian Revolution?

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Egypt

Inside Egypt’s Dismal Primary Schools

The primary school building in Imbaba – a deprived, scruffy area of Cairo – looks more like a detention centre, with its stern institutional design, metal gates and huge walls crowned with barbed wire. A group of parents waited to pick up their children outside the school. Although they said the school was better than others in the area, they soon rattled off a long … Continue reading Inside Egypt’s Dismal Primary Schools

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Egypt

Egypt’s Embattled Atheists

As Gabr sat in a seafront cafe in his hometown of Alexandria, he spoke about his past opinion of atheists. “I used to think that they should be killed,” he said matter-of-factly. Gabr – not his real name – was brought up in a moderate Muslim family before becoming a Salafi, a follower of a literalist and puritanical form of Islam. He eventually underwent a radical shift … Continue reading Egypt’s Embattled Atheists

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