Hossam Bahgat

Hossam Bahgat
Born c. 1978
Residence Alexandria, Egypt
Occupation Activist, journalist

Hossam Bahgat (born c. 1978) is an Egyptian human rights activist and investigative journalist. He is the founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and a journalist for Mada Masr.

Early life

Hossam Bahgat was born circa 1978.[1]

Career

Bahgat started his career as a journalist.[2] He subsequently worked for the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, but he quit his job because of their inaction over the Queen Boat incident, when 52 men were arrested for homosexual acts.[2] Instead, he founded Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a human rights organization, in 2002.[1][3] It was the first human rights organization in Egypt to recognize LGBT rights as human rights.[3]

Bahgat is an investigative journalist for Mada Masr.[1] He was arrested from 8 November 2015 to 10 November 2015 for "publishing false news that harms national interests and disseminating information that disturbs public peace", during the presidency of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.[1][4] The arrest was condemned both by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Amnesty International.[1][5] In January 2016, he was again critical of el-Sisi's regime, when he argued that the "level of repression now [was] significantly higher than it was under the Mubarak regime".[6]

Bahgat was the 2011 recipient of the Alison Des Forges Award from Human Rights Watch "for upholding the personal freedoms of all Egyptians".[1]

Personal life

Bahgat resides in Alexandria, Egypt.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Black, Ian; Khalil, Jahd (November 9, 2015). "Anger as Egypt detains campaigning journalist". The Guardian. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Soussi, Alasdair (July 2009). "Hossam Bahgat". New Internationalist. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Egyptian rights group 'cannot protect gays'". BBC. February 11, 2002. Retrieved September 27, 2016. Hossam Bahgat, who is founding a new human rights group, said he aimed to protect personal rights and as such would help a gay person.
  4. ↑ Kirkpatrick, David D. (November 10, 2015). "Hossam Bahgat, Journalist and Advocate, Is Released by Egypt's Military". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Egypt: Arrest of prominent activist Hossam Bahgat another blow for freedom of expression". Amnesty International. November 8, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ Shenker, Jack (January 24, 2016). "State repression in Egypt worst in decades, says activist". The Guardian. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
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