Exiled and living under constant surveillance, Mariam continues her relentless fight against the Bahraini government’s repression. Her father has been a political prisoner for over a decade, and while she advocates for his release, her activism has made her a high-profile target. Since she left Bahrain under threat of arrest, Mariam has faced state-sponsored digital and physical harassment, even while in exile in Denmark.

Arwa – who spent over a decade in public activism work in Yemen – played a crucial role in the 2011 Yemeni uprising. As a woman activist, her public visibility drew relentless attacks and criticism. The pressure grew exhausting, and, in 2015, she sought refuge in the E.U., hoping for a safer environment to continue her work in a more discreet way.

Fatima, a Syrian journalist, has been relentlessly harassed, threatened, and blacklisted for her work. She can hardly bear to think about Syria now, let alone continue writing about the never-ending tragedy of the conflict. After years of covering anti-regime groups, freedom of expression, and gender issues, Fatima fled her home country due to the threats she faced. But even in exile in the U.K., the attacks have not stopped. Online and offline harassment continue to haunt her across borders.

Dounia Filali was among the first to expose the Moroccan security apparatus’ use of spyware against political figures and journalists. Her work gained attention, but also brought her under dangerous scrutiny.

Meryem and her family left the Xinjiang region in China for Turkey in the early 1990s, before settling in North America. As a human rights defender, Meryem has experienced various digital threats in response to her activism. She is frequently attacked by what she believes to be Chinese state-backed trolls on X, Facebook, and in the comment section on public Zoom meetings.