Egypt press crackdown denounced
Journalism in Egypt has effectively become a crime in the past four years, as authorities clamp down on media outlets and muzzle dissent, Amnesty International said in a report released yesterday.
As coronavirus infections in Egypt continued to rise, the government was strengthening its control over information, the London-based rights group said, instead of upholding transparency during the publichealth crisis.
“The Egyptian authorities have made it very clear that anyone who challenges the official narrative will be severely punished,” said Amnesty’s Philip Luther.
Amnesty highlighted the cases of 37 journalists detained in the government’s escalating crackdown on press freedoms, many charged with “spreading false news” or “misusing social media” under a counterterrorism law that has expanded the definition of terror to include all kinds of dissent.
An Egyptian press officer did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment, but authorities have previously justified arrests on nationalsecurity grounds.
Since general-turned-President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rise to power in 2013, most of Egypt’s television programmes and newspapers have taken the government position and steered clear of criticism, or else disappeared. Many privately owned Egyptian news outlets have been quietly acquired by companies affiliated with the country’s intelligence service.
But even a pro-government voice hasn’t spared 12 journalists working for state-owned media outlets, who have landed in jail for expressing private views on social media, the report said.
Amnesty urged Egyptian authorities to end censorship, harassment and intimidation of journalists — and to release those detained “solely for carrying out their work”.