New York, January 5, 2016 – Egyptian authorities should immediately release journalist Mahmoud al-Sakka, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The arrest comes amid a series of repressive measures ahead of the anniversary of the January 25, 2011, uprising that forced former President Hosni Mubarak to resign.
Over the past year, CPJ has documented anti-press violations all over the world, cases of journalists killed, imprisoned, abducted, or threatened in relation to their work. You can see all of our coverage at our website, www.cpj.org. But here at CPJ Impact we also highlight those times when CPJ has stepped in and advocated for…
Egypt is second only to China as the world’s worst jailer of journalists in 2015. Worldwide, the number of journalists behind bars for their work declined moderately during the year, but a handful of countries continue to use systematic imprisonment to silence criticism. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser
While just under 200 journalists are behind bars, CPJ witnessed several memorable releases in 2015, including in Vietnam, Ethiopia, and even secretive Eritrea. Some of the journalists had spent years behind bars; they endured isolation and several say they were tortured. This year, CPJ’s advocacy contributed to the release of at least 31 journalists. Some…
Dear Prosecutor General Nabil Sadiq. The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to you because of our deep concern for photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as Shawkan, who is due to stand trial in Cairo Criminal Court on December 12, 2015. Shawkan’s lawyers told CPJ they will ask the court to release him from custody We request that you support this request. Shawkan was at Rabaa Al-Adawiya in August 2013 not as a protester or a criminal, but as a journalist.
New York, December 1–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to release freelance investigative journalist and researcher Ismail Alexandrani. The journalist was charged today with publishing false news and belonging to the banned group, the Muslim Brotherhood, according to news reports.
New York, November 19–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egypt to release Abdelrahman Abu Ouf, deputy editor-in-chief of Al Mesryoon, who was arrested Saturday, according to reports. The ongoing crackdown on press also included the brief detention of a journalist for the German news agency DPA, and a presenter on a state-run channel who…
New York, November 8, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately release investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat. Bahgat, who writes for Mada Masr, a progressive website that publishes news and opinion in English and Arabic, faces charges of publishing false news and is being held overnight by military prosecutors, according to Mada…
New York, October 26, 2015–At least three journalists have been arrested in the past five days in Egypt, and the whereabouts of two of them are unknown, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to disclose the reasons for the journalists’ arrests and release them immediately.