Author | Lightnews

Mohamed Mandour

@mandour.bsky.social

800 followers 300 following 44 posts

Masters of Human Rights @Humphery School, University of Minnesota. MENA Researcher @Committee to Protect Journalists. #Press_Freedom, #Transnational_Repression, and #Tech_policy. Words are mine!

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Nov 25

1- In my piece for @newlinesmag.bsky.social, I warned about Netanyahu's government attacks on press freedom in Israel, including sanctions on @haaretzcom.bsky.social , and how he's using public media privatization as a tool to tighten his grip on the media.

newlinesmag.com/argument/as-...

As the War in Gaza Rages, Netanyahu Tightens His Grip on the Media

The Israeli right-wing government’s history of stifling dissent has intensified during the conflict

newlinesmag.com

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · May 6

I’m honored to join an incredible panel of experts to discuss the global rise of drone warfare. I’ll be speaking about how the proliferation of drones and AI-driven decision support systems (AI-DSS) is reshaping regional security—and what it means for the safety of journalists.

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Apr 29

While the global attention focuses on #Yemen and the #Houthis, both supporters and critics of the U.S. attacks against the group are ignoring how the group is using this moment to escalate its attacks against the Yemeni people. Here's an example:

cpj.org/2025/04/hout...

Houthi drone strike kills Yemeni-Dutch journalist, injures another - Committee to Protect Journalists

Washington, D.C., April 28, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the April 26 Houthi drone strike that killed journalist and filmmaker Musab al-Hattami and injured his brother, photograp...

cpj.org

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Apr 14

Instead of allowing experts to share their insights on how to address Egypt’s current economic crisis, the Egyptian authorities are imprisoning one of the country’s most brilliant economic minds—over 60 years old—in a cell infested with large rats that pose serious health risks.

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 28

The Secretary of State should be aware that U.S. students and researchers abroad are actively writing and researching about the countries they reside in. His remarks essentially give these governments a green light to arrest or deport U.S. students and researchers if they disagree with their work.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Mar 27

Marco Rubio on Rumeysa Ozturk: "We revoked her visa ... once you've lost your visa, you're no longer legally in the United States ... if you come into the US as a visitor and create a ruckus for us, we don't want it. We don't want it in our country. Go back and do it in your country."

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 15

4- Voice of America has long been the voice of those who risk everything to report under authoritarian regimes. Cutting its staff doesn’t just silence those voices—it leaves the American public and policymakers knowing less and understanding even less about the world they shape.

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 15

3- I think of its fearless coverage of Mohammed al-Ghamdi, the Saudi cartoonist sentenced to 23 years behind bars for daring to speak truth to power.

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 15

2- I think of how it was the first U.S. media outlet to report on the case of Ashraf Omar, the Egyptian cartoonist who has languished in prison for eight months.

I

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 15

1- When I think of Voice of America, I think of its unwavering commitment to telling the stories of persecuted journalists in the Middle East—voices silenced at home but amplified here for the American public and policymakers.

Reposted by Mohamed Mandour

Sarah McLaughlin @sarahemclaugh.bsky.social · Mar 14

Immigrants legally in the United States on either a green card or a student visa may be forced to make some of the same calculations as those who live or work in authoritarian states abroad – but about our own government.

Is it safe for me to speak my mind? Is it worth the risk? Will I be targeted?

Sarah McLaughlin @sarahemclaugh.bsky.social · Mar 14

America’s immigration holding cells should not become detention centers for speech the government wants to target.

I wrote about Mahmoud Khalil's case and its similarities to authoritarian regimes’ speech policing and use of deportation as a censorship tool at @theguardian.com.

Deporting speakers over supposed ‘propaganda’ is a stock authoritarian move | Sarah McLaughlin

You don’t need to hold sympathy for Mahmoud Khalil’s views to see why his targeting is an immense threat to free expression

www.theguardian.com

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 13

Relaxed rules of engagement mean less safety for journalists covering conflict zones, especially given U.S. military involvement in places like Yemen.

Pete Hegseth to overhaul US military lawyers in effort to relax rules of war

The defense secretary has empowered his lawyer Tim Parlatore to remake the judge advocate general’s corps

www.theguardian.com

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 10

2- Now, the threat comes from the U.S. administration itself. International students are losing their voices twice—first due to authoritarian regimes at home, and now because of autocratic measures in the U.S

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 10

1- Two years ago, as an international student at a U.S. university, I wrote about how transnational repression from China, Russia, and Egypt had been threatening international students and academic freedom.

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 4

#Egypt: In a joint letter led by CPJ, 50 prominent human rights leaders, Nobel Prize laureates, writers, and public figures have called on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to grant a presidential pardon to Egyptian-British writer Alaa Abdelfattah.

cpj.org/2025/03/cpj-...

CPJ leads joint letter to Egyptian president urging release of writer Alaa Abdelfattah - Committee to Protect Journalists

In a joint letter led by the Committee to Protect Journalists, 50 prominent human rights leaders, Nobel Prize laureates, writers, and public figures have called on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-S...

cpj.org

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Mar 4

As an Egyptian, I find it amusing to see the same rhetoric that Sisi has used in Egypt for the past decade—blaming citizens' inaction for economic problems—now being echoed in the U.S. Why don’t more Americans raise chickens in their backyards? Because most of them don’t even have backyards!!

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · Mar 3

Trump’s Sec of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says the solution to high egg prices for Americans is to get some chickens and raise them in your backyard.

Reposted by Mohamed Mandour

Gypsy Guillén Kaiser @gypsyrights.bsky.social · Feb 27

URGENT ⚡ ‘Risk to Life’ for Woman on Hunger Strike Over Son Jailed in Egypt #FreeAlaa #PressFreedom www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/w...

Mother on Hunger Strike to Free Alaa Abd El Fattah From Egyptian Jail at ‘Risk to Life’

Laila Soueif, the mother of Alaa Abd El Fattah, one of Egypt’s most prominent political prisoners, has fasted for 151 days as she seeks his release.

www.nytimes.com

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 25

Lapid's proposal to pay Egypt's foreign debt, $150B, in return for Egypt controlling Gaza, fails to understand that , regardless of incentives/pressure, Sisi cannot afford to lose a single Egyptian soldier in Gaza. This would spark dissent within Egypt’s military, threatening his power.

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 21

Targeting a media outlet based abroad is a clear act of transnational repression. Egypt’s telecommunications service providers should recognize that their services are being weaponized to silence independent media.

cpj.org/2025/02/egyp...

Egypt blocks independent media outlet Zawia3 over investigative reporting - Committee to Protect Journalists

Washington, D.C., February 21, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the blocking of Egyptian independent media outlet Zawia3, based in Brussels, and calls on Egyptian authorities to end ...

cpj.org

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 18

The impact of Trump’s aid freeze goes beyond what we see: in many authoritarian countries, receiving foreign funding is illegal and punished by the state. Human Rights organizations and media outlets have been severely affected but are unable to speak out due to fears of government repression.

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 11

Egypt must stand against Trump's plan. While US economic aid to Egypt is under $130M, its $1.3B security assistance goes entirely to US arms manufacturers, primarily benefiting the US economy. Meanwhile, Egypt has been working for a decade to diversify its arms sales.

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 10

CPJ welcomes the re-establishment of the Egypt Human Rights Caucus and urges the U.S. Congress to prioritize addressing the escalating press freedom crisis in Egypt worldwide, as said Mohamed Mandour, Committee to Protect Journalists.

beyer.house.gov/news/documen...

Beyer & DelBene Announce Re-Establishment Of Egypt Human Rights Caucus

beyer.house.gov

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 5

If the Democratic administration had not allowed Palestinians to be killed daily in Gaza for almost 15 months, Trump would not have been able to propose displacing Palestinians as a 'better' option. Trump is turning Biden's inaction into an action plan.

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 5

2- With this trend, those leaving the CIA and other intelligence agencies could either establish new firms in the field or help authoritarian governments localize spyware production.

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 5

1- Of course, this will have many implications, including a surge in the surveillance industry. Many existing spyware companies were founded by former Mossad officers, while the UAE’s spyware capabilities were developed by former U.S. intelligence operatives.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

CIA reportedly offers buyouts to entire workforce in latest Trump-era purge

The Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts on Tuesday, citing aim to bring agency in line with Trump priorities, US media report

www.theguardian.com

Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 4

Egypt should allow international journalists into Gaza. If Israel is blocking them to cover up its crimes, Egypt must not be complicit. Press access is crucial to counter Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians—something Egypt needs now more than ever.

www.dropsitenews.com/p/over-100-j...

Over 100 journalists sign letter requesting Egyptian authorities to allow access to Gaza through Rafah crossing

While Palestinian journalists have been killed in record numbers, Israel and Egypt have barred international journalists from accessing Gaza

www.dropsitenews.com

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Mohamed Mandour @mandour.bsky.social · Feb 3

The key to defeating any coup is first acknowledging that it is a coup. It takes a broad coalition—across political, judicial, and media platforms—to challenge and defeat it. Denial only strengthens it.

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