Journalists and human rights groups have been angered by a recent CNN interview with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi in which he praised media freedom in Egypt.
“I do not want to exaggerate, but we have unprecedented freedom of expression in Egypt. No one in Egypt can bar anyone working in media or journalism or on TV from expressing their views,” Al-Sisi claimed during the broadcast.
Local human rights organisations, including the Arabic Network for Human Rights, estimate that nearly 60 journalists have been imprisoned by Egyptian authorities during the past two years, in which there has also been a clear return of state censorship on newspapers and media outlets.
Violations of media freedom in Egypt have included stopping the printing of newspaper editions, objecting to a headline or an article, and cutting printed copies that include anti-regime articles, rights groups claim.
Human rights activist Gamal Eid said that “nearly 62 journalists were detained in Egypt until 25 June, 2015; most of them suffered lengthy pre-trials, detention periods and unfair trials”.
The Chairman of Freedoms in the Egyptian Syndicate of Journalists, Khaled Al-Balshei, told Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper that his commission submitted a list of names of journalists and reporters who deserve amnesty to the authorities, but that the entire imprisonment policy against journalists must be addressed.
“Amnesty is something important and necessary, but most importantly journalists must be able to do their job without fear,” he explained.