🚨 Thanks to the generosity of our community, we're at 83% of our giving goal to sustain and grow the Bassem Sabry Fellowship! It's not too late to join us! Your gift -- whether $5 or $500 -- helps us invest in the next generation of MENA policy leaders: givebutter.com/bassemsabry

✨ In a powerful Christmas Day message, Pope Leo remembers the people of Gaza and Yemen, refugees and migrants, the exploited and underpaid, the unemployed, those in prison, and those living in inhumane conditions. www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

“I can’t believe it’s finally happened and Alaa has made it to London. We thought it was impossible, but here he is. Hundreds of people around the world did so much to help bring this moment about. Alaa is free and we can finally begin to heal as a family.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

His posts on instagram have been so joyful. It’s wonderful to see him free, and free to travel!

Keir Starmer on Alaa Abdel Fattah's arrival in the United Kingdom.

Too many Egyptian political prisoners are released from custody only to continue facing asset freezes and travel bans that leave them unable to rebuild their lives -- unable to be truly free. Today, we celebrate Alaa Abdel Fattah's travel as a symbol of him being finally free. 🤍🤍🤍

BEST NEWS EVER!! 🤍 After years of prison, probation, and travel ban, Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah was able to get on a plane today, travel to London, and reunite with his family!!!!

Today, I visited this powerful nativity display set up in a commitment to ground our faith in social justice, inspired by Reverend Dr. Munther Isaac and the creche first displayed in 2023 by the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem in solidarity with the people of Gaza. St. Marks, Washington, DC

To everyone celebrating around the world (today, tomorrow, and through January 7): Merry Christmas! May we celebrate a world that is kinder, softer, more peaceful, and more just next year as a result of what each of us did to make it so. 🌲❤️✨

NEW: By a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court blocks Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Chicago to assist immigration agents. A majority holds that he likely lacks authority to do so. Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch dissent. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

“The credibility of @timep.bsky.social carried my work into rooms where people had never heard my name but were willing to listen, engage, and later cite my research.” Wondering what it's like to be a Bassem Sabry Fellow? Catch my friend and former colleague @mandour.bsky.social's new video ⤵️

"Your contribution gives researchers and democracy leaders from the region the chance to come to the US, produce knowledge, and build their skills...to inform and shape policy." — @mandour.bsky.social. Make a donation to support rising leaders like Mohamed today: givebutter.com/bassemsabry

In exile, @mandour.bsky.social looked for support to refine his research, guide his advocacy, and navigate the policymaking space. "This is what the Bassem Sabry Fellowship became for me: a space that preserved the authenticity of my voice while amplifying it." youtu.be/ArfvMSGmWtM?...

Great news from Egypt where the Prosecutor General has agreed to remove Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah from the travel ban list. Hope that this is the last step before Alaa is finally able to reunite with his son Khaled. 🤲🏼🤍

With Trump's signature on the NDAA tonight, Caesar sanctions are officially repealed, marking a huge milestone for Syria!! Hats off to the many Syrians and non-Syrians who made this moment possible. May it constitute the relief that the Syrian people deserve.

As we mark 15 years since the Arab Uprisings, the voice I miss most is Bassem Sabry. If you do one thing this week, read this beautiful reflection by his dear friend @dalezzat.bsky.social for @timep.bsky.social. In it, she brings to life why what he stood for then, matters today. More than ever.

١٥ سنة علي انطلاق الثورات العربية. مهما حاولوا يمحوا تاريخنا، برضه هنفتكر.

وفي ذكرى هذه اللحظة الفارقة التي ألهمت رسالة معهد التحرير لسياسات الشرق الأوسط، نجدد التزامنا بالعمل على دعم وخلق مساحات للخبراء والمناصرين والناشطين العاملين على دفع سياسات تُعلي من مصلحة شعوب المنطقة، وتبني مجتمعات قائمة على العدل والشفافية والمحاسبة.

خلال العام القادم، سنعمل في معهد التحرير على تسليط الضوء على قصص هؤلاء الذين عايشوا الثورات العربية، وأثروا فيها وأثرت فيهم، وسنطرح أسئلة جوهرية حول كل ما تغير بعد مرور 15 عامًا، وسنفتح مساحات لمجتمعاتنا للتأمل في مستقبل مسارات العمل المستمر من أجل التغيير في المنطقة.

اليوم، نكرّم ذكرى البوعزيزي، ونتذكر اللحظة التي أطلقت الانتفاضات العربية الساعية للحرية والكرامة والعدالة الاجتماعية، والتي ألهمت الملايين عبر السنوات، ولا يزال أثرها حاضرًا ومؤثرًا في مسار المنطقة وحياة شعوبها حتى اليوم.

"أنا إنسان بسيط، لا أريد سوى أن أعمل." هكذا صرخ بائع الفاكهة التونسي محمد البوعزيزي منذ 15 عامًا، تحديدًا يوم 17 ديسمبر 2010، احتجاجًا على تضييق السلطات على رزقه، قبل أن يشعل النار في جسده معبرًا عن عمق معاناته من الأوضاع السيئة، ليطلق شرارة ثورة امتد صداها إلى سائر المنطقة.

Let us recall that not that long ago, it felt around the world like freedom was on the march. Things have reversed in the past 15 years. But just as they turned backwards quickly, so too can they turn forwards again. May the spirit of Mohamed Bouazizi and the Arab Spring that followed rise again

I almost forgot. Today 15 years ago the #ArabSpring revolts were set in motion by the Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi. At that same day, I sat in a plane from #Damascus to the Netherlands, oblivious of what was about to happen. But I knew one thing: I would return to live in the region.

Today marks 15 years since the day that changed everything: for me, for my friends, for our region. It's also the anniversary of the spark from which @timep.bsky.social would ultimately be born. Fifteen years since Bouazizi set himself on fire. Fifteen years since the Arab Uprisings.

As we mark this deeply consequential anniversary for the region, our team at TIMEP recommits to the promise behind our mission: to amplify and to advocate for policies that center the people of the MENA region and that deliver on their aspirations for a better future.

Over the next year, TIMEP will platform the stories of those who lived these movements; ask critical, but thoughtful questions on what has changed fifteen years later; and create space for our community to come together and reimagine the next generation of organizing for change.

Today, we at TIMEP honor his memory and proudly mark fifteen years since the spark behind the Arab Uprisings, a movement for freedom, dignity, and social and economic justice that has inspired many across the years. Its spirit continues to shape the region and its people today.

Fifteen years ago today, on December 17, 2010, Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi stood in the middle of traffic, shouted “How do you expect me to make a living?” and set himself on fire, sparking popular protests in Tunisia and across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The new travel ban takes family separation to an entirely new level. If a US citizen wants to adopt a Syrian baby, he or she will be unable to bring them home. If an American marries their loved one from Sudan, he or she will not be able to sponsor them for a visa.

Trump's executive order today expands the list of travel ban countries to include 7 new countries including Syria and to additionally cover those traveling on travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. The full text here: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

UPDATE: US citizen and Syrian journalist Eiad Charbaji has been released after being held in custody for approximately 24 hours. Below, a photo with his lawyer following his release.

🚨 DC is under an Extreme Cold Alert through tomorrow morning. If you need help or see someone outside who needs shelter or a welfare check, you can call the Shelter Hotline at 202-399-7093 or dial 311 More here, including when to dial 911: dhs.dc.gov/extremeweather

Ahmed al-Ahmed, who bravely disarmed one of the gunmen in the horrific Bondi Beach attack, is originally from Idlib, Syria.

Following news that the hero who rushed in to disarm one of the gunmen in the horrific Bondi Beach attack was a 43 year old Muslim man named Ahmed al-Ahmed, there's been a huge disinformation campaign claiming it's another man and attempting to cause confusion about his identity.

Syrian journalist Eiad Charbaji (a US citizen) has been taken into custody in Syria in a case brought against him for comments about the generation that grew up in Idlib during the war. He is being accused of "inciting sectarian and ethnic strife" under the 2022 cybercrime law.

Holding in my heart those around the world who are now welcoming Hanukkah today in terror, fear, and mourning.

ICE has historically been uninvolved in domestic travel inside the US. But now, the TSA is sending a list of travelers to ICE multiple times a week, allowing them to cross check names against their database of those subject to deportation. Chilling www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/u...

في محاولة للإجابة عن هذا السؤال، عقد معهد التحرير لقاءً في بيروت جمع عدد من المتضررين والمتأثرين بالأزمات المختلفة، لتحديد الأولويات، ورسم مسار نحو المساءلة وجبر الضرر، والعمل من أجل الإصلاح. ندعوكم إلى قراءة تقريرنا الجديد للاطلاع على ما أسفر عنه اللقاء: timep.org/2025/12/11/%...

لعقود طويلة، عانى اللبنانيون، وما زالوا، أزمات متعددة، تراكمت وتشابكت نتيجة تفشي الفساد وغياب المساءلة، ما أهدر حقوقهم، وأسكت أصواتهم، وحرم أجيال متتالية من الحياة الكريمة التي يستحقونها. فماذا تعني العدالة بالنسبة لضحايا هذه الأزمات؟

Calling for the "destruction, in whole or in part, of a religious group" is incitement to genocide.

You've probably read a lot about enforced disappearances in Syria, but I guarantee that you haven't read enough about the plight of the wives left behind and how their lives are put on hold. Don't miss Lina Ghoutouk's new article for @timep.bsky.social this week ⬇️

📢 Important Cause Alert!! @loom4swana.bsky.social is working to build the first-ever queer helpline in the Southwest Asia and North Africa region to support LGBTIQ+ activists during the digital crisis. Help make this a reality by making a donation of any size: www.gofundme.com/f/the-firste...

Kicking off now. Tune in LIVE now ⬇️

On Thursday, December 11 at 14:00 CET (8:00 am EST), our panel of judges will be presenting the judgment in the People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan. You can watch the livestream here: www.youtube.com/live/IiXXanT...

On Thursday, December 11 at 14:00 CET (8:00 am EST), our panel of judges will be presenting the judgment in the People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan. You can watch the livestream here: www.youtube.com/live/IiXXanT...

The NDAA has passed in the House of Representatives 312-112. It's expected to be voted on by the Senate next week. Once it passes and is signed by the President, the Caesar Act will be repealed (see the full text of the repeal language as included in the NDAA below ⬇️)

🚨 It’s not too late to join us! Sana Mustafa, Joseph Daher, Sara Hunaidi, and @justinsalhani.bsky.social will join TIMEP today at 10 AM EST for an event exploring foreign affairs, economics, and political developments one year into Syria's transition. Register here: timep.org/2025/11/24/s...

This is the Tufts PhD student who seized by masked agents on the street and jailed for two months because she wrote an op-ed calling for the school to divest from Israel.

TIMEP Nonresident Fellow Samy Akil joins @aljazeera.com to weigh in on the state of Syria one year since the fall of Assad and the short and long-term challenges facing the new government. Watch the interview here: mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/vJvcHA...

Syria faces some monumental challenges, but today -- the one year anniversary of the fall of Assad -- is a day of immense magnitude. It is a day to honor the demand for freedom and dignity that lives on in many of us and that continues to burn even in the darkest moments. 🤍✊🏼