Egypt / Middle East & North Africa

  
Journalists carry Yehia Qallash, head of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, at a protest against restrictions on the press in Cairo on May 4. (Reuters)

Egyptian government clash with Journalists Syndicate marks turning point in censorship fight

A standoff this week between Egyptian authorities and the country’s influential Journalists Syndicate could mark a turning point in the fight for media control that has raged since before President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took office.

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Egyptian journalists protest the arrest of their colleagues at the General Prosecutor's office in central Cairo, April 28, 2016 (Mohammed Abdel Ghany/Reuters)

Egypt police raid Journalists’ Syndicate, arrest two journalists

New York, May 2, 2016–Egyptian authorities should immediately release Amr Badr, Mahmoud al-Sakka, and all journalists jailed for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police on Sunday raided the Journalists’ Syndicate in Cairo, where the two were staging a sit-in protest, and arrested them, according to their employer and news reports. Today…

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The Struggle for Candid Interviews

Inside a four-room apartment in Antakya, Turkey, a town on the border with Syria, more than a dozen men sat on mattresses on the floor. It was just past 10 p.m. and the soldiers, all men in the Free Syrian Army, the rebel opposition group in Syria, were busy coordinating their next trip into the…

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Young people run from police tear gas amid calls for protests in downtown Cairo, April 25, 2016. (Mohamed El-Shahed/AFP)

Scores of journalists harassed, detained amid Egypt protests

New York, April 25, 2016–Egyptian authorities should immediately cease detaining and harassing journalists, and allow them to do their jobs, including allowing them to cover street protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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CPJ concerned by reports of Egyptian accusations against Reuters

New York, April 22, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by reports in the Egyptian media that authorities have accused Reuters of “spreading false news” in a report on the death of an Italian student. The press reports could not be verified and Reuters said it had not received notification of legal action.

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A police officer stands guard at protests in central Cairo, April 15, 2016 (Reuters/Amr Abdallah)

Journalists injured, harassed covering protests in Egypt

New York, April 15, 2016 — Egyptian police should cease harassing journalists and ensure they can do their jobs safely, including at demonstrations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Egyptian editor, press freedom advocate faces arrest

New York, April 5, 2016 – Egyptian prosecutors should immediately drop criminal charges against editor and press freedom advocate Khaled El-Balshy, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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CPJ joins call for Egypt to end its persecution of journalists, civil society leaders

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 14 other organizations in calling on Egyptian authorities today to halt the persecution of journalists, press freedom advocates, and civil society leaders. Restrictive measures have included travel bans, asset freezes, and the re-opening of a five-year-old investigation into the foreign funding of human rights organizations.

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Egyptian journalist alleges torture, whereabouts unknown

New York, March 3, 2016 – Egyptian authorities should immediately charge or release journalist Sabry Anwar and order an independent and thorough investigation into claims he has been tortured, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Security forces arrested Anwar, a correspondent for the independent newspaper El Badil, from his home in the Mediterranean city…

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Hossam Bahgat sits at his desk in a December 7, 2011, file photo (AP/Sarah Rafea)

Egypt prevents investigative journalist from leaving the country

New York, February 23, 2016- Egyptian authorities prevented journalist Hossam Bahgat from traveling from Cairo International Airport today. No reason was given for the ban.

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