'Jailed for stating the obvious': Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar’s wife speaks about his plight

The last time Ashraf Omar knew freedom was July 22.

In fact it never even occurred to him that his humorous cartoons about the government's controversial policies would lead to en enforced disappearance followed by terrorism-related charges.

The Egyptian satirical cartoonist, whose work has been published in local independent outlet Al-Manasa, was detained on the evening of July 22 after unidentified security forces raided his suburban Cairo house and confiscated his laptop.

The security forces then blindfolded and took him to an undisclosed location, and also confiscated a substantial sum of money belonging to his wife, Nada Mougheeth.

His case has triggered public outcry on increasing restrictions over free expression in the Arab world's most populous country. The hashtag #FreeAshrafOmar has trended throughout Egyptian and Arab social media platforms, with activists calling for his immediate release.

Meanwhile, Omar's cartoons continue to be widely shared online and colleagues have gathered at the Journalists' Syndicate headquarters in downtown Cairo in solidarity with him and other media workers jailed over their work.

In an exclusive interview with The New Arab, Omar's wife, Nada Mougheeth, spoke about his case and the personal difficulties she's facing over his uncertain fate.