• EGYPT
  • April 26, 2016
  • 4 minutes read

Rights Organization: Coup Forces Attack Foreign and Egyptian Journalists Covering Protests Monday

Rights Organization: Coup Forces Attack Foreign and Egyptian Journalists Covering Protests Monday
The Arab Observatory for Media Freedom (AOMF) reported that coup security authorities arrested, attacked and assaulted 17 foreign and Egyptian media workers, most of them in central Cairo, near the Journalists’ Syndicate and Tahrir Square, until 5PM local time (7 o’clock GMT).

Moreover, security apparatuses prevented some foreign TV crews from entering iconic Tahrir Square, including BBC news crews as well as Norwegian and Danish correspondents.

Thugs, accompanied and protected by police forces, tried to storm the headquarters of the Journalists’ Syndicate in downtown Cairo. The Syndicate has denounced this, and demanded police protection.

AOMF condemns this attempt to break into the Journalists’ Syndicate, which has always been a platform for all Egyptians who had grievances.

Police forces prevented Mohamed Abdul-Quddus, former Director of the Journalists’ Syndicate and member of the National Council for Human Rights, from entering the press union HQ.

Detentions, attacks and assaults included Asem Mohamed, journalist with misrjournal; Basma Mustafa, journalist with albedaiah; and Mohamed El-Sawy, photojournalist with dotmsr website.

Security agencies also arrested Mustafa Reda, journalist and director of el-tareeq website, in Talaat Harb Street, as he walked to his workplace in nearby Mohamed Mahmoud Street, off Tahrir Square. He was released after two hours of detention and questioning.

Security forces further arrested Magdi Emara, editor of Al-Geel newspaper, near the Journalists’ Syndicate; and Mohamed Al-Shammaa, journalist, who was stopped just before he entered the press union building.

Police also detained Tahseen Bakr and Fouad Al-Gernosi, photographers with Al-Masry Al-Yawm newspaper, on the outskirts of Tahrir Square, and released them after a period of detention, questioning and a full body-search.

Furthermore, security forces arrested Mahmoud Sabri, news program producer, in a cafe, and took him to Dokki Police Station; and detained a reporter called Takwa, from Sayeda Zeinab Metro Station. No-one knows their fate or whereabouts until now.

Relentless security forces also hounded former board members of the journalists union and foreign correspondents. They stopped British BBC news’ van on the outskirts of Tahrir Square and prevented the team from filming, according to a post by Orla Guerin, BBC News correspondent in Cairo, on her webpage.

AOMF calls for the immediate release of detained journalists, and that they should be allowed to carry out their work freely, covering April 25 demonstrations.