CPJ denies Egyptian authorities’ accusation that it funded press freedom advocate Gamal Eid to defame Egypt
Washington, D.C., July 29, 2021—Egyptian authorities should drop all charges against press freedom advocate Gamal Eid and allow him to work and travel freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 27, an Egyptian investigative judge questioned Eid, founder of the regional press freedom group Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), for…
Egyptian authorities detain journalist Abdel Naser Salama on terrorism and false news charges
New York, July 19, 2021 – Egyptian authorities must immediately release journalist Abdel Nasser Salama and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, state security officers in Alexandria arrested Salama, a columnist at the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram and its former editor-in-chief, from his home, according to news reports. Prosecutors…
CPJ joins call for US to investigate Egypt’s alleged role in Khashoggi murder
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined seven other civil society groups in a joint statement calling on the United States government to transparently investigate any role Egyptian officials may have played in the killing of Saudi journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, and to publicly disclose any findings from that investigation. On June 21,…
Retired Egyptian journalist Tawfik Ghanem detained on terrorism charges
On May 21, 2021, Egyptian state security forces arrested Tawfik Ghanem, a retired journalist who most recently worked as the Cairo-based regional director of the Turkish news agency Anadolu, according to news reports and one of his lawyers, who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. Authorities arrested Ghanem from…
CPJ calls for immediate release of seriously ill Egyptian journalist Gamal al-Gamal
New York, May 26, 2021 – In response to news reports that Egyptian freelance columnist Gamal al-Gamal’s health has seriously deteriorated during his pretrial detention in Cairo’s Tora Prison, and that he is suspected of having contracted COVID-19, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are extremely concerned by reports of journalist…
CPJ, other groups urge Biden administration not to waive human rights conditions on Egypt aid
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 13 other civil society groups in sending an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Jake Sullivan, assistant to the president for national security affairs, urging the Biden administration not to waive human rights conditions in sending military aid to Egypt for fiscal year 2020. In…
Egyptian columnist Gamal al-Gamal arrested, charged with terrorism, false news
New York, March 1, 2021 – Egyptian authorities must immediately release journalist Gamal al-Gamal and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 22, authorities arrested al-Gamal, a freelance columnist who contributes to local and regional news websites, in Cairo International Airport upon his return from Turkey, where he…
CPJ condemns Egyptian authorities’ judicial harassment of Sherif Mansour, family
New York, February 25, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists today issued the following statement in solidarity with Sherif Mansour, the Washington-based head of CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program, his family, and all those defending human rights and press freedom in Egypt: “Egypt, an ally of the United States, portrays itself as a democracy,…
Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Hamdi detained after publishing video on Arab Spring anniversary
New York, January 26, 2021 — Egyptian authorities must immediately release cartoonist Ashraf Hamdi and drop any charges filed against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the early hours yesterday, state security forces arrested Hamdi, owner and founder of cartoon blog Egyptoon, at his home in Giza, according to news reports and…
Ten years after the Arab Spring, the region’s media faces grave threats. Here are the top press freedom trends
In early February 2011, Alaa Abdelfattah was in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, documenting and participating in the nascent pro-democracy uprising that would topple the government and transform the country and the region. Today, he is in prison on anti-state and false news charges, which his family believes are partly retaliatory for his work. Abdelfattah is one of…