Egypt arrests journalist for criticising the entry of Israelis to Sinai

Egyptian security forces yesterday arrested journalist Safa Al-Korbiji after she published a video in which she criticised the entry of Israelis into Sinai.

Egypt has held two music festivals in south Sinai, which were organised by Israelis during the Passover holiday, which coincides with the Sinai Liberation holiday. This has sparked widespread anger on social media platforms in Egypt.

Egyptian news outlets said that security forces arrested Al-Korbiji from her home yesterday morning, but they failed to arrest media personality Hala Fahmy because she was not home at the time of the raid.

Ak-Korbiji and Fahmy had launched a campaign against the seizure of the Maspero building by the intelligence service. The building holds state TV and radio stations, and has witnessed repeated protests since the beginning of the year against work conditions, low salaries and overdue financial payments that workers have not received for several years.

On 6 March the Chief Editor and acting chairman of the board of directors of the Radio and Television Magazine Khaled Hanafi, issued a decision to terminate Al-Korbiji’s employment as sub-editor, on the pretext that she stopped working without permission or acceptable excuse from 1 January.

Al-Korbiji filed a complaint to the Council of Journalists Syndicate headed by Diaa Rashwan against the decision claiming there were no legal grounds for her dismissal. Adding that she had been working throughout that period.

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