London, February 17, 2018
At 8:00 pm on Friday February 16, 2018, a plain cloth Egyptian police force cur off a car carrying journalist Muataz Muhammad Shamsuddin, aka Muataz Wadnan and some of his relatives, and took them to an unknown detention place, according to his lawyer.
It is known that Wadnan is the one who conducted an interview with councilor Hisham Genina, former head of the Central Auditing Authority, in which he revealed that the possession of army general Sami Anan documents condemning some parties in the bloody events that followed the revolution of January 25, 2011.
For its part, Arab Media Freedom Monitor “Ikshef” asserts that journalist Wadnan did a legitimate press work, which does not include any legal violation, and that his arrest and intimidation is a violation of the constitution and the law and represent a blatant violation of the constitutional and legal provisions guaranteeing freedom of the press and freedom of information in general.
The Observatory expresses its fears that the journalist will be implicated in a case and political compromises that he has nothing to do with, and that would turn him into a scapegoat to settle that crisis by charging him with a criminal responsibility that has nothing to do with it.
Ikshef expresses its full solidarity with the kidnapped journalist who has practiced his professional work properly without violating the law. Also, Ikshef demands that he be released quickly and that the necessary protection be given to him. It demands all parties concerned with freedom of the press in Egypt and abroad to move quickly to release him and ensure his security and protection, and stop rising violations against freedom of the press and free circulation of information and the release of all journalists and opinion-makers in Egypt.
