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Draft:Abdelrahman ElGendy

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A headshot of Egyptian writer, Abdelrahman ElGendy.

Abdelrahman ElGendy is an Egyptian writer and public speaker from Cairo, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A former six-year political prisoner in Egypt, he was detained from 2013 to 2020.[1][2][3]

Early Life and Education[edit]

ElGendy was arrested at the age of 17 in Cairo during a protest against the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état in Egypt,[2][1][3] was mis-tried as an adult instead of a minor,[1][2][3] and sentenced to 15 years in a maximum-security prison.[1][2][3] ElGendy spent over six years in prison, where he earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Ain Shams University.[1] He was retried as a minor and released in January 2020.[1][2][3] In 2025, he graduates with an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Pittsburgh.[4][5][1]

Career[edit]

ElGendy's writing focuses on political and social issues of the Middle East and the Arab diasporic experience.[6][7][8] His writing appears in the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Guernica, AGNI, Mizna, Mada Masr, and elsewhere. ElGendy is the recipient of the EU-presented Samir Kassir Freedom of Press Award,[9][10][11] the Courage to Write Award by the de Groot Foundation,[12] the Steinbeck Fellowship by San Jose State University,[13] and the Heinz Fellowship by the University of Pittsburgh's Global Studies Center.[14]

Advocacy and Public Speaking[edit]

ElGendy advocates for Egyptian political prisoners locally and in the US.[15] His speaking engagements include appearances at Harvard University,[16] the University of Pennsylvania,[17] the University of Pittsburgh,[18] and elsewhere.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Alami, Aida (2023-03-17). "Jailed in Egypt at 17, He Wrote to Survive and to Share His Long Ordeal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  2. ^ a b c d e "After his retrial as a minor, El Gendy's sentence decreased to 5 years | MENA Rights Group". www.menarights.org. 2013-10-06. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  3. ^ a b c d e "اعتُقل طفلاً وخسر مستقبلاً دراسياً مرموقاً... الإفراج عن المعتقل المصري عبد الرحمن الجندي". رصيف22 (in Arabic). 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  4. ^ "Abdelrahman ElGendy | Department of English | University of Pittsburgh". www.english.pitt.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  5. ^ "بعد اعتقاله 6 سنوات.. طالب مصري يحقق حلمه ويحصل على منحة دراسية في الولايات المتحدة". الجزيرة مباشر (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  6. ^ Español, Marc (2022-01-07). "La vida entre rejas se hace literatura en Egipto". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  7. ^ # (2022-01-12). "مصر: الحياة في السجون تتحول إلى أعمال أدبية • نون بوست". www.noonpost.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-19. {{cite web}}: |last= has numeric name (help)
  8. ^ Alami, Aida (2023-03-17). "Jailed in Egypt at 17, He Wrote to Survive and to Share His Long Ordeal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  9. ^ "The European Union rewards journalists from Egypt, Syria, and Yemen during the 2024 edition of the Samir Kassir Award | EEAS". www.eeas.europa.eu. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  10. ^ "Samir Kassir Award | For Freedom of the Press". Samir Kassir Award | For Freedom of the Press. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  11. ^ P, Lydia (2024-06-21). "Abdelrahman ElGendy Wins the Samir Kassir Freedom of Press Award". The de Groot Foundation. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  12. ^ P, Lydia (2024-04-09). "Abdelrahman ElGendy". The de Groot Foundation. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  13. ^ "Steinbeck Fellowship | Center for Steinbeck Studies". www.sjsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  14. ^ "H.J. Heinz Fellowship | Global Studies Center". www.ucis.pitt.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  15. ^ Alami, Aida (2023-03-17). "Jailed in Egypt at 17, He Wrote to Survive and to Share His Long Ordeal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  16. ^ "ACH24 Program — Arab Conference at Harvard 2024". Arab Conference at Harvard. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  17. ^ Comstock, Charlotte. "Egyptian writer Abdelrahman ElGendy speaks at Penn about political activism, imprisonment". www.thedp.com. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  18. ^ "Narratives of The Exiled | Global Studies Center". www.ucis.pitt.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-19.