Ten years ago, a wave of protest swept the Middle East and north Africa. Launched with an eyewitness account from Egypt’s Tahrir Square, IWPR’s Arab Spring reporting project featured voices from across the region; journalists, human rights defenders, activists and ordinary people caught up in a time of extraordinary change.

Ever since, IWPR has continued to work with local media, activists and minority communities on the ground, from documenting the ravages of the Syrian civil war to empowering women changemakers in Libya and supporting civil society in Tunisia.

A decade later, we look at the state of freedom of expression across the region, and how citizens continue to work for positive change and meet the challenges the crises created.

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With:

Why Local Voices Matter
The real heroes are those on the ground, fighting to bring truth to light.
Janine di Giovanni Senior Fellow at Yale University

Egypt's Invisible Revolution
A profound social and cultural transformation continues, despite a sustained assault on political freedom.
Khaled Diab Journalist & author

Syria: The Burning Man
From reporting on war in Aleppo to protests in the streets of Paris.
Zakaria Abdulkafi Video-maker & photographer

Iraqi Women Will Not Be Silenced
Wave after wave of protest has shown what freedom of expression really means.

Writing for Syria
“When I see the people I’m reporting on, I can't just give up in despair.”

How Regimes Exploited the Social Media Revolution
The informational ecosystem that enabled dissent is now being used to suppress it.

INTERVIEW: Tunisia’s Media Awakening
Freedom of expression continues to prove key to defending other civil liberties.

“My Art is a Tool to Defend Freedom”
How one IWPR trainee uses political cartoons as a call for action.

COMMENT: More Than Ever, Lebanon Needs Media Freedom
How can we recover from our crisis and rebuild our country if we cannot speak out?

Sudan’s Struggle For Reform
Many repressive laws have been repealed – but progress is slow.

Yemenis Still Demand Their Rights
Despite their suffering, people refuse to give up on fundamental freedoms.

Bahrain: The Inconvenient Uprising
Our geo-political importance left us side-lined; but this is a long-term struggle.

INTERVIEW: Libya’s Media Needs Reform
Gaddafi-era laws continue to restrict independent journalism.

Women cheer in Tahrir Square after it is announced that President Hosni Mubarak was giving up power on Feburary 11, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. © Chris Hondros/Getty Images