The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 20 human rights and press freedom organizations in calling on Egyptian authorities to stop blocking access to Mada Masr and the 22 other news websites. The letter, sent May 26, says the blocking of the sites violates international standards.
Egyptian authorities on May 24 ordered internet service providers to block access to the sites, including Al-Jazeera and the Huffington Post’s Arabic-language website, because they allegedly publish content that “supports terrorism” and “spreads lies.” A few days later, the websites of financial newspaper Al-Borsa and its sister-publication, Daily News Egypt, were blocked, according to news reports and a statement by the outlets.
A copy of the joint letter can be viewed here: