The arrest of four more journalists in Egypt in one week (Report,7 July) reveals the steady and ruthless attack on the media in Egypt since the 2013 coup. The regime of Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is intent on suffocating independent journalism at any cost. After the abhorrent detention of three al-Jazeera journalists – to international condemnation – the Sisi regime is unashamedly continuing this flagrant series of harassment and detentions. Mohamed Adly, Hamdy Mokhtar and Sherif Ashraf are now facing jail terms simply for doing their job. The arrests coincide with original anti-terrorism legislation in Egypt, and which makes it a criminal offence to publish news contradicting the government’s stance on terrorism cases. Following the Tunisia terrorism attacks,David Cameron spoke of “standing up for our values – of peace, democracy, and tolerance,freedom”. The continuing silence of his government on this issue exposes a concerning double standard.
Toby CadmanInternational Forum for Democracy and Human RightsContinue reading...,
Source: theguardian.com