UPDATE: TIMEP is happy to report that as of Wednesday, July 26, its website is accessible in Egypt. The reason behind the site’s denied access remains unclear. TIMEP will continue to monitor the site’s accessibility and communicate developments as needed.
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On Tuesday, July 25, it came to the attention of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy that its website (timep.org) is no longer accessible in Egypt. While TIMEP is unaware of any official statement or government source commenting on the denied access, it appears to be the latest addition to the list of 127 websites which Egyptian authorities began blocking in May.
For four years, TIMEP’s research and advocacy work has served as a valuable resource to the Middle East- and Egypt-focused policymakers, journalists, and analysts around the world on issues of security, democracy, human rights, economic development, and rule of law, and the way these principles are linked. TIMEP’s projects adopt a systematic, rigorous research approach of documentation, data analysis, and policy recommendations while highlighting local voices. Our projects—including Egypt Security Watch, Legislation Tracker, Egypt Parliament Watch, Transitional Justice Project, and Eshhad—have consistently provided an international audience with up-to-date, reliable data that has served as a credible resource for reputable international media outlets such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Policy, among others. Ultimately, TIMEP’s work has served as a channel to magnify local voices in Egypt and the region and ensure that they are heard within the international policy-making community.
“At a time when the Egyptian government faces challenges within its economy and security, it should be seeking to engage constructively at local and international levels in response to policy recommendations, rather than blocking citizens’ access to information,” said TIMEP Executive Director Dr. Nancy Okail. “Today, information has become available with unprecedented accessibility. Blocks on digital resources are not sustainable and often circumvented, rendering such measures an ineffective means of regime preservation.”
TIMEP will ensure that it remains a valuable resource to those located in Egypt following its work and will share alternative media for accessibility. TIMEP will maintain its active social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, posting as TIMEPDC on both platforms.