As Egyptians continue to protest and call for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the government has responded by cracking down on the media and shutting down the nation’s internet.
This crackdown hasn’t stopped Sherif Arafa, the cartoonist for the state-run Alittihad newspaper in Egypt (click here to view his cartoon archive), from filing new cartoons about the demonstrations. On a normal day Sherif struggles to voice his criticism without triggering the censors in a country where free speech is too often trampled upon.
Working for a government-run newspaper, Sherif is not allowed to draw about specific politicians, such as President Mubarak, or criticize religion. As a way around that, he created a character called “The Responsible” so he could say what he wanted.
Here are some of his most recent cartoons about the protests in Egypt that threaten to topple the Mubarak government:
