Report: 2007 Worst for Egyptian journalists

The International Committee to Protect Journalists held a press conference on Monday morning Feb, 4th 2008, in the Egyptian Press Syndicate where it declared its report entitled “Aggressions against the Press” around the situation of press and journalists in 2007.
 
The report listed a number of aggressions committed by government services and bodies against Egyptian journalists. The report criticized also the big increase in the number of journalists facing investigations pending publishing cases.The report covered also the situation of bloggers whose effect has spiraled upward due to their weblogs triggering many detentions and trials and even prison sentences against them.
 
It is worth mentioning that the committee”s 2006 report included also many violations which were committed against journalists working in opposition and independent newspapers and other media outlets. The committee criticized also in its report Egyptian President”s breaking his promise of canceling prison sentences against journalists in publishing cases .The committee said in its last report that 2007 was the worst ever in the history of journalists as it witnessed many violations against journalists across the world, citing for example Iraq where 32 journalists were killed on duty.Salah Abdul Maqsoud, a member of the Press Syndicate board, confirmed to Ikhwanweb that the report accurately reflected what Egyptian journalists faced in 2007. He confirmed that Egyptian press and journalists are experiencing a real crisis with the regime which is scrambling to silence any opposition using detentions and abuses against all Egyptians, including journalists.