JournalismPakistan.com | Published April 05, 2018
Join our WhatsApp channel
WASHINGTON - The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the retaliatory measures taken by Egyptian authorities against the independent news website Masr al-Arabia for its coverage of last week’s presidential elections and calls on the authorities to release the website’s editor.
Since April 1, Egyptian authorities have shuttered Masr al-Arabia’s office in Cairo, arrested its editor-in-chief, and levied a fine against the website after it allegedly violated election regulations, according to news reports.
“Having threatened the press ahead of the vote, various Egyptian authorities now appear to be competing to see who can most stringently enforce censorship in the wake of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s reelection,” CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa Coordinator said. “We call on the Egyptian government to ease this relentless crackdown and let the news media do its job of holding power to account.”
CPJ's requests for comment sent via email to Egyptian media regulators and the prosecutor general's office were not immediately answered.
At least ten plainclothes police who said they belonged to local municipality authorities yesterday raided Masr al-Arabia’s office and held its journalists for five hours. The group of men then ordered staff out of the building and sealed the doors with red wax, according to Masr al-Arabia, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information press freedom group, and news reports. The website’s staff is operating remotely, according to a statement from Masr al-Arabia issued after the raid.
Police also arrested the website’s editor-in-chief, Adel Sabri, claiming that Masr al-Arabia lacks requisite licensing. Police took him to Dokki prison in Cairo. The editor today appeared in front of a district prosecutor whose name has not been released and who is still deciding if Sabri should be freed, the video department head Ahmed Gamal Ziada told CPJ.
In its statement, Masr al-Arabia wrote that police told Sabri he should pay a 50,000 Egyptian pound (US$2841) fine imposed on the paper on April 1 by Egypt’s media regulator, the High Council for Media.
The regulator issued the fine after Masr al-Arabia published its Arabic translation of a critical New York Times report alleging election violations, which the regulator labeled as “fake news.” The website has refused to pay the fine, according to the Masr al-Arabia statement.
In police custody, Sabri also refused to pay the fine, saying that police could not enforce the media regulator’s order, according to the statement.
Since February, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation - a body set up in 2016 under a decree by el-Sisi--banned several entertainment and satirical shows on moral grounds, CPJ documented at the time. Last week, the body threatened journalists with retaliatory actions if their reporting was "unethical," and fined at least one other outlet, al-Masry al-Youm daily, 150,000 Egyptian pounds (US$8,479), for reporting on election irregularities, according to the daily and other media reports.
Egyptian authorities blocked the Masr al-Arabia website in May 2017, but is accessible through virtual private networks (VPNs), CPJ reported at the time. Authorities have blocked at least 496 websites of news outlets, blogs, human rights organizations, and circumvention tools used to bypass the blocks, according to the free speech advocacy group, Association of Freedom and Thought, and the U.S.-based Open Observatory of Network Interference. One of the blocked websites, the independent news website Mada Masr, reported that its appeal of the ban is scheduled for May 13 at the Court of Administrative Justice. – A CPJ news alert
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 26, 2025: In Rawalpindi, police allegedly side with Jang Group to block 66 reinstated employees from resuming work despite court orders, drawing sharp criticism from unions and press freedom advocates.
May 25, 2025: PFUJ condemns the Jang Group's decision to dismiss over 80 employees in Rawalpindi, calling it an 'economic massacre.' The union warns of nationwide protests if workers are not reinstated.
May 25, 2025: Daily Jang Rawalpindi has terminated over 80 employees, including female staff, despite multiple court rulings in their favor—raising concerns over labor rights violations and misuse of authority in Pakistani media.
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.