Mostafa Al-A’sar

Mostafa Al-A’sar is a Toronto-based journalist, writer, and human rights defender who was previously imprisoned in Egypt for his critical views of the government. After enduring torture and nearly four years in pretrial detention, he fled to Canada seeking safety and a fresh start. In his new home, he grapples with feelings of loneliness and the challenges of building connections in a society where casual social interactions are often less spontaneous than in his native Egypt and Lebanon.