JournalismPakistan.com | Published August 09, 2017
Join our WhatsApp channel
NEW YORK - Egyptian authorities should stop censoring Al-Mesryoon newspaper and be harassing its journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.
Authorities banned this week’s edition of the newspaper and summoned Al-Mesryoon Editor-in-Chief Gamal Sultan and Managing Editor Mahmoud Sultan for interrogation, according to Gamal Sultan and news reports.
Employees of the state-owned Al-Ahram printing house on August 5 told an Al-Mesryoon employee that “a security apparatus” ordered them not to print this week’s edition of the newspaper, Gamal Sultan told CPJ.
The printing house, which according to press reports prints most newspapers in Egypt, did not specify which security agency was behind the decision and whether future issues would also be affected, the editor said.
Gamal Sultan told CPJ that security officials had ordered the newspaper to remove articles prior to publication before, but that this time, after seven hours of negotiations with the printing house as an intermediary the security officials deemed the entire edition “inappropriate.” The newspaper has consistently been critical of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's government.
“They told us they were taking a position against the newspaper and its editorial policy,” Gamal Sultan said.
Yesterday, National Security prosecutors summoned both Gamal and Mahmoud Sultan for questioning, Gamal Sultan told CPJ. The summons, which was sent via the Journalists’ Syndicate, mentioned only a case number and did not detail any allegations, according to news reports. The two editors did not attend, so the interview was rescheduled for August 12, according to Gamal Sultan and the Egyptian press freedom group Journalists Against Torture.
“Egypt is trying to silence what few critical and independent voices remain in the press,” CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said from Washington, D.C. “We call on Egyptian authorities to stop censoring Al-Mesryoon newspaper and to stop harassing Gamal and Mahmoud Sultan.”
The Egyptian Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to CPJ’s email requesting comment.
Al-Mesryoon has run afoul of Egyptian security agencies in the past. The newspaper’s website has been blocked in Egypt since May, alongside at least 133 others, according to Egypt’s Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression and news reports.
In March, a Cairo criminal court ordered Al-Mesryoon reporter Iman Yehia to pay a fine of 300,000 Egyptian pounds (US$16,887) and ordered Gamal Sultan to pay 10,000 (US$563) Egyptian pounds on charges of “publishing false news” and defaming former Minister of Justice Ahmed al-Zend in a 2014 article, according to news reports. The article alleged that al-Zend sold state-owned land at below market rates to a relative during his tenure as head of the Judges' Club, according to news reports. The journalists’ appeal of that verdict is pending, according to Gamal Sultan and news reports.
In 2015, Al-Ahram printing house told Gamal Sultan that it would not print the newspaper unless it removed two stories about President Sisi, CPJ reported at the time. – A CPJ news alert
July 08, 2025: As Pakistani authorities move to block YouTube channels of journalists, censorship tightens. Yet, social media has emerged as a defiant force, keeping the spirit of free speech alive despite increasing state control.
July 08, 2025: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has acquitted a murder accused, ruling that confessions made to the media while in police custody are inadmissible. Justice Athar Minallah emphasized due process and transparency in legal proceedings.
July 08, 2025: The Pakistan government has approached a court seeking the removal of several YouTube channels operated by prominent journalists, accusing them of spreading false information and provoking unrest against state institutions.
June 11, 2025: Pakistan celebrated a narrow win over Bangladesh, but beneath the jubilation lies a deeper crisis—from sidelined veterans to a collapsing domestic structure—signaling an urgent need for cricket reform.
June 11, 2025: Journalists walked out of the post-budget press conference in Islamabad to protest the absence of a technical briefing and the government's dismissive behavior, calling it unacceptable and intolerable.
May 31, 2025: Dr. Nauman Niaz has issued a defamation notice to Shoaib Akhtar over derogatory remarks made during a recent broadcast, reigniting a longstanding media feud between the two prominent figures in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has demanded the full repeal of PECA, citing its vague language, coercive powers, and threats to free speech and digital rights in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the murder of journalist Syed Mohammed Shah in Jacobabad, calling for urgent justice and improved safety for media professionals in Sindh.
May 19, 2025 PJS reports 219 Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, with 30 women among the victims. Over 430 were injured and 685 family members were killed. Read more on the systematic targeting of media in Gaza.
May 15, 2025 Discover the legacy of Samiullah Khan, Pakistan’s legendary "Flying Horse," whose breathtaking speed and artistry redefined hockey. From Olympic glory to World Cup triumphs, his story is one of myth, movement, and magic.
May 04, 2025 Algerian authorities suspend Echorouk News TV for 10 days after it used a racist slur against African migrants. ANIRA demands an apology, calling it a violation of human dignity.
May 04, 2025 NCHR and MMfD launch a journalism fellowship to train reporters on digital rights & gender inclusion in Pakistan. Supported by UNESCO, this initiative aims to bridge the gender digital divide. Apply by May 15, 2025!
April 23, 2025 Discover Dr. Nauman Niaz’s In A Different Realm: Story of Quadruple & Triple Centuries 1876–2025, a profound exploration of cricket's most monumental innings, blending historical analysis with poetic narrative.