Gamal Abdelaziz Eid
“Gamal Eid”
EDUCATION
1991 BA `Ayn Shams University, College of Law, Cairo, Egypt
1982 Al-Dawawin High School, Cairo, Egypt
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2003 to Present The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)
Executive Director and Legal Counsel
Founded and directs the Arab world’s leading organization providing original research, legal aid, and technical, networking, and strategic support for the defense of freedom of opinion and expression. Writes and speaks regularly on international human rights and freedom of expression at international and local conferences, before the UN, press, and foreign delegations, and provides training to other lawyers and bloggers. Lead defense lawyer in many of Egypt’s most important freedom of expression and torture cases.
2001 to 2005 Egyptian Bar Association
Member, Executive Office of the Committee on Freedoms
Responsible for the Committee’s advocacy campaigns against violations of civil and political rights in Egypt, and provided free legal aid to victims. Wrote the Committee’s study on the two decade long State of Emergency in Egypt and represented the Committee in meetings with journalists during its year-long “Ending the State of Emergency Campaign.”
1999 to 2005 Human Rights Watch
Consultant
Designed and created content for the Human Rights Watch Arabic language website, making it the most visited Arabic language human rights website in the world. Represented Human Rights Watch in meetings with Middle East and North African government officials and activists during negotiations for the creation of the International Criminal Court (May 1999 to August 2002). Monitored the 2003 Revolutionary Socialists Trial and the 2005 trial of Egyptian presidential candidate Dr. Ayman Nour.
1995 to 1997 The American University in Cairo
Field Researcher, Social Science Research Center
Conducted individual and focus group surveys of local perceptions of and responses to environmental pollutants in the Dar al-Salam community (pop. 1 million) for the Social Responses to Environmental Changes Project.
1996 to 1997 Group for Democratic Development
Group Coordinator
Coordinated voter education and training on civil and political rights in the Dar al-Salam community for this non-governmental educational organization.
1994 to 1995 Center for Human Rights Legal Aid
Director, Information and Documentation Unit
Founding member of Egypt’s first legal aid clinic. Led a successful campaign to mobilize journalists to advocate for the reversal of the 1995 Press Law. Responsible for advocacy around the Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd academic freedom case and the Yousif Chahine freedom of expression case.
1993 to 1994 Egyptian Human Rights Organization
Lawyer, Fieldwork Unit
Investigated allegations of abuse, conducted prison and other field visits, participated in drafting of reports analyzing patterns of abuse, and provided legal defense in trials and interrogations for Egypt’s largest human rights organization. Supervised and trained legal staff in human rights documentation and legal representation.
1992 to 2007 Private Law Practice
Specialized in labor, torture, and freedom of expression cases. Pro bono cases include the Shohdy Nagib Surur Internet Freedom of Expression case (2002); the Queen Boat case (2001/2002); the Railway Workers case (2001/2002); and the Cairo University Students Demonstration case (2001).
1992 to 1995 Egyptian Branches of Amnesty International
Coordinator, Giza Branch
Coordinated membership activities of the Giza branch of Amnesty International from its creation until the Egyptian Government forced the suspension of its membership activities in Egypt.
PUBLICATIONS
- A Journalist’s Guide to Publication Cases: Volume I, Defamation Cases (ANHRI, forthcoming), editor.
- One Social Network with a Rebellious Message, (ANHRI, 2009), editor and co-author.
- Behind the Walls of Fear: Fayoum Under Siege, (ANHRI, 2009), co-author.
- Demonstrations of Press Freedom: 1909, (ANHRI, 2009), co-author.
- Freedom of Opinion and Expression in Egypt, (ANHRI, 2009), editor and co-author.
- Human Rights: Basic Concepts, (ANHRI, 2008), editor and co-author.
- Freedom of Opinion and Expression in Egypt, (ANHRI, 2008), editor and co-author.
- “Mechanisms of Mutual Support between Internet and Human Rights”, (ANHRI, 2008), editor.
- Who Pays the Price? Advertisements in the Egyptian Press Beautifying the Image of the Tunisian Dictatorship, (ANHRI, 2007), author.
- Electronic Media and Human Rights, (ANHRI, 2007), co-author.
- in Implacable Adversaries: Arab Governments and the Internet, (ANHRI, 2006), editor and co-author.
- No Rules, No Limits, Fabrication of Cases Against Journalists and Activists: Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain, (ANHRI, 2006), author.
- The Internet in the Arab World, a New Space for Repression? (ANHRI, 2004), author.
- Web Design for Civil Society Institutes, (ANHRI, 2004), editor and co-author.
- “Local Administration,” in Ahwal Masriya Magazine, June 2002.
- A People under Siege: The State of Emergency in Egypt, (Egyptian Bar Association Committee on Freedoms, 2002).
- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: A Comparison with Egyptian Law and a Commentary Drawing on Judicial Rulings, (Center for Human Rights Prisoners Aid, Legal Studies and Human Rights Series, Number 1, Cairo, Egypt. 1999).
- “Labor Elections: Between Government Interference and the Labor Force,” Democratic Forum, pp. 102-105, January 1997.
- Law, State, Unions and the Egyptian Labor Movement: A Study of Egyptian Labor Law, (1998).
- Before It Is Too Late, a Study of Political Participation in Egypt, (Group for Democratic Development, 1997), co-author.
- The Annual Report on Human Rights Conditions in Egypt, (Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, 1996), co-author.
- Prisoners without Rights, (Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, 1994), co-author.
- The Annual Report on Human Rights Conditions in Egypt, (Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, 1993), co-author.
SELECTED RECENT LECTURES
- “The Law, Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Internet” Global Voices’ Second Arab Bloggers Forum, in Beirut, Lebanon, December 2009.
- “Censorship and the Internet in Egypt,” Oxford University, College of Law, July 2009.
- “Freedom of Religious Belief,” UNESCO Conference on International Press Freedom Day, Doha, May 2009.
- “Hisba and Freedom of Expression and Opinion in Egypt and the Arab World Conference for African organizations concerned with freedom of expression and opinion in Africa, Botswana, Spring 2009.
- “Human Rights and Freedom of Expression and Opinion in Egypt” at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Canada, Fall 2008.
- “Freedom of Expression and Opinion,” United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Labor Organization conference on freedom of expression and the right to organize, Beirut, Lebanon, May 2008.
- “Freedom of Expression and Opinion in Egypt” at Brown University, Spring 2008.
- “Censorship and the Internet” at the E-Parliament Free For All: Democracy and the Internet in Bali, Indonesia, December 2007.
- “The Right to Form Associations in Egypt,” briefing for members of Club Madrid, Fall 2007.
- “Freedom of Opinion and Expression in Egypt and the Arab World,” Symposium on “Freedom of Expression in Northern Africa” Amnesty International Organization, Madrid, Spain, 2007.
- “Arab Activists and Information Technology The Internet: Glimmer of Light in Dark Tunnel,” “Mundos Arabes: Thoughts, Players, and Spaces Conference” Casa Arabe Institute, Madrid, Spain, January 2007.
AWARDS
- Shortlisted for the 2009 Index on Censorship/Guardian Newspaper Freedom of Expression Award.
- Recipient of the Center for Human Rights Victims (Alexandria) 2009 Activist of the Year Award.
- Recipient of the Ghad Party Certificate of Recognition for work in defense of human rights in Egypt.
- Award defender of human dignity, Roland Berger Foundation . November 22, 2011
- Leaders for Democracy Award, The Project on Middle East Democracy
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Member of the Egyptian Bar Association; the Working Group for the Freedom of Press and Expression in Africa (and member of the Executive Secretariat, 2006-2009); and the Egyptian Association Against Torture.
- ANHRI is member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX); the Arab Working Group for Monitoring the Media; Crisis Action; the Egyptian Forum of Human Rights Organizations; and the Egyptian Campaign Against Inheritance of Power.