Mohamed Aboelgheit was an award-winning Egyptian investigative journalist whose writing captivated readers from across the Arab world and beyond. Throughout his life, Mohamed was deeply committed to journalism that advanced accountability and brought about tangible change in the lives of the impacted individuals. In this spirit, TIMEP awards the annual Mohamed Aboelgheit Nonresident Fellowship, in cooperation with the Mohamed Aboelgheit Endowment, to an early or mid-career journalist in or from the MENA region, immersing them in the world of policymaking and providing a space for them to produce impact-oriented writing.
About Mohamed Aboelgheit
Formerly trained as a medical doctor, Mohamed decided to pursue journalism after his viral blog posts caught media interest and generated widespread public discussion during the Egyptian revolution of 2011. Mohamed worked as a producer in ONTV and Al-Araby TV. He published work in many outlets both inside and outside of Egypt, including Al-Shorouk newspaper, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, and CNN. His cutting-edge investigative journalism delved into critical issues such as Western governments’ illegal sales of weapons in Yemen and the Rapid Support Forces’ secret financial network in Sudan.
Mohamed was a member of Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) and later joined the Organized Corruption and Crime Reporting Project, which brought together 160 journalists from around the world to produce the Swiss Leaks, a project that uncovered an enormous international tax evasion scheme. Mohamed co-founded Matsda2sh (Don’t Believe), the leading fact-checking service in the Arab world, and Arabi Facts Hub, a pioneering platform that processes big data to help address misinformation in the Arab world.
Due to the restrictive political climate and shrinking space for independent media in Egypt, Mohamed moved to London with his family in 2015. In 2021, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer; in the months that followed, he wrote powerful, thought-provoking reflections on his diagnosis and experience with terminal illness. His essays were posthumously published in the book I Am Coming to the Light. Mohamed passed away on December 5, 2022. He was 34 years old.
Mohamed Aboelgheit Fellows
In May 2023, TIMEP, in collaboration with the Mohamed Aboelgheit Endowment, announced the first Mohamed Aboelgheit fellow: Reem Abbas. Her work is focused on issues of land, conflict, and resources in Sudan.