Egypt using courts to stifle journalism: AI

Cairo says accusations ‘politicised nonsense’

CAIRO, May 3, (RTRS): Egyptian authorities are using the courts to stifle journalism, Amnesty International said on Sunday in a report that listed 18 reporters and media workers jailed and dozens more facing criminal investigations.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry denied there had been any targeting of journalists.

The New York-based rights group said several reporters had been detained for long periods without charge or trial, including an Egyptian photographer known as Shawkan who has been held for more than 600 days.

Rights groups say a crackdown launched by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after the overthrow of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid2013 has muzzled freedom of expression.

“In Egypt today anyone who challenges the authorities’ official narrative, criticizes the government or exposes human rights violations is at risk of being tossed into a jail cell, often to be held indefinitely without charge or trial or face prosecution on trumped-up charges,” Amnesty said.

The Egyptian foreign ministry responded to the report saying the journalists were arrested based on a warrant from the public prosecutor and afforded full due process.

“Nobody is being targeted for being a journalist. Such accusations are politicised nonsense,” said spokesman Badr Abdelatty.

A source in the public prosecutor’s office rejected the criticisms as “blatant interference” in judicial affairs.

“Investigators operate in total neutrality regardless of the