29 search results for "ahmed naji"

Egyptian Court Denies Naji’s Second Request for Release Pending Appeal

Egyptian author Ahmed Naji’s second request to be released from prison pending an appeal in his obscenity case was denied last week, meaning he will continue to serve his two-year sentence for “violating public modesty” until a higher court decides…

Egyptian Photojournalist Convicted of Murder for Covering Protests in 2013

On September 8th, 2018, photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, also known as Shawkan, was convicted for murder and membership in a terrorist organization after his arrest in August 2013 while “documenting the government’s violent dispersal of protesters at Rab’a Al Adweya…

Egyptian Author Fined for Sexually Explicit Excerpt

Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji was fined LE 20,000 following his third trial for “harming public morality” by republishing an excerpt from his experimental book Using Life (also known as Use of Life) in 2014. Naji was initially acquitted of these…

Egyptian Police Raid Indie Press, Arrest Volunteer for ‘Posession of Unregistered Books’

Egyptian police on Sunday raided the office of a small independent press, Merit Publishing House, and detained a volunteer staff member for “being in possession of unregistered books without ISBNs,” implying they likely weren’t approved by government censors. The same…

Egyptian Court Denies Ailing Author’s Request for Bail Pending Appeal

Egyptian author Ahmed Naji’s request to be released from prison pending an appeal in his obscenity case was denied last week, meaning he will continue to serve his two-year sentence for “violating public modesty” until a higher court decides to…

Experimental Comics Thrive in Middle East Despite Obstacles

Without a doubt, the current world hot spot for underground and experimental comics is the Middle East and North Africa–a fact that might surprise many Americans. From Egypt’s Tok Tok to Lebanon’s Samandal to Nadia Khiari’s radical cartoon cat Willis…

Egyptian Indie Cartoonists: “The Pencil is a Tool Which All Dictators Hate”

The independent comics scene in Egypt is flourishing as more and more young adults find freedom of expression through the power of the pen. This is definitely the case for Cairo-based twin cartoonists Mohamed and Haitham El-Seht, who recently sat…