58 violations and 6 cases of detention and forcible dispersal of journalists’ demonstration
London – June 7, 2017
June 2017 witnessed an important incident among the violations that took place during it. It is the most prominent of this month and the first of its kind, it is classified as a major violation. It is assaulting journalists on the stairs of their syndicate as they were expressing their rejection of the Tiran and Sanafir islands agreement, following a sit-in organized in the syndicate. Some journalists were injured and a number of them were arrested in an incident no less than the incident of storming of the syndicate by security forces last year, as it is the first time that an assault takes place during a rally by journalists in front of their syndicate.
The number of journalists detained in June compared to previous months increased, as 6 journalists were detained against the backdrop of the dispersal of journalists demonstrating on the syndicates’ stairs and some other journalists covering the event over of the Tiran and Sanafir islands agreement. The number of imprisoned journalists increased to 96 prisoners instead of 94 Last month.
The blocking of the sites continued for the second month in a row, especially since no solution was reached, resulting in direct damage to journalists. Many of them became unemployed and lost work. Those in charge of Cairo online portal decided to close the website and fire all journalists. Misralalrabia website announced its intention to fire a large number of editors because of the blocking crisis.
As for violations in general, June recorded 58 cases of violations and one case of release. Violations varied; imprisonment, enforced disappearance, detention, communications against journalists, in addition to abuses, raids, prevention of coverage, blocking, prevention of publication and layoffs.
As for arrest and forcible disappearance in June, journalist Hazem Reda of Horria Post still forcibly disappeared till the time of writing this report. The second case of journalist Sarah Mehanna of Yanair portal, who was detained and sentenced to imprisonment for 15 days.
Also in June, 6 arrests were made then journalists were released after they were detained for some time. The arrested were journalist Mohamed Monir of Youm7, Ahmed Taha Al-Naqr of Al-Akhbar, Mohammed Riyad of Al-Bayan newspaper, Abdul-Rahman Meqled and Mohammed Abdul-Hamid of Al-Dostor newspaper in addition to Ahmed Amin of Al-Karama newspaper on the backdrop of their coverage of Tiran and Sanafir demonstrations and the charge of publishing false news.
The only case of release in June was of journalist Mohamed Abdul-Moneim of Tahiya Masr website as a part of presidential pardon in the Holy month of Ramadan on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. He was about to end his sentence.
Prison violations continued in June, as in previous months, where prisons witnessed 6 cases of severe medical negligence, especially the case of journalist Ahmed Zahran, as well as hunger strikes in protest against the poor conditions as happened with journalists Hassan Al-Qabbani and Hisham Jaafar, whose wife spoke about his suffering inside his cell and the deteriorating health conditions and deprivation of all rights. This is in addition to Osama Al-Bishbishi and Mohammed Hassan, as well as journalist Mahmoud Hussein who had a broken arm and was not treated.
June witnessed a series of trials and communications which reached 28 cases, including the submission of a communication from Ali Abdel-Aal, Speaker of the House of Representatives against Khaled Al-Balashi, editor of Al-Bedaia website and former member of the Journalists Syndicate’ board
The detention of journalist Hassan Al-Qabbani, Hamdi Al-Zaeem, Ahmad Zahran and Badr Muhammad Badr has also been renewed. Moreover, some cases has been postponed, as is the case with Ahmad Mansi, Mahmoud Abdul-Latif and Mahmoud Hussein
The month also saw communications against journalists, as happened with journalists in Sada Al-Balad satellite TV channel, or fines, as was done with Rosaelyoussef magazine.
There were 7 cases of prevention of coverage during June. Most of them were related to government institutions, including courts, schools or ministries, and included preventing journalists from entering or filming and reporting.
There were 4 cases of raids and physical abuse in June. The first was the assault on journalists as they were demonstrating on their syndicate’s stairs. This happened for the first time. This resulted in the injury of a number of journalists and the arrest of others. The house of journalist Osama Al-Hetaimi of Al-Mokhtar Al-Islami magazine was also raided. The third case was related to journalist Ahmed Abu-Zaid of Al-Diyar newspaper, where his house was stormed. The last case was related to Abdul-Majeed Abdul-Aziz, a journalist at the Saudi website Ajel and editor of the Aldostour-Alasly website, where his house was stormed and he was arrested.
In addition, there were two cases of blocking in June, with the first was the blocking of Arab Media Freedom Monitor website and the second preventing the printing of Al-Sabah newspaper for publishing a front page article related to the case of Tiran and Sanafir.
June witnessed one case of writing ban, as Al-Gomhuriya newspaper banned publishing a page containing a survey of the concession of Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.
As for firing journalists, the blocking of a number of websites led to dismissing a number of journalists in Cairo online portal and Misralarabia website because of the financial crisis due to blocking.
Updated list of detained journalists in Egypt till June 30, 2017 (96 Journalists):
- Magdi Ahmed Hussein (Editor of Al-Shaab Al-Jadeed)
- Hisham Jaafar (MADA)
- Ismail Al-Iskandrani (Freelance journalist)
- Mahmoud Hussain, Al-Jazeera news network
- Reem Qotb Jabarah, independent film director
- Mohammed Farag, freelance journalist
- Nabil Al-Ashri, editor of Mubasher website
- Mohammed Al-Shaer, of Mubasher website
- Mohammed Salah Sharara, Qatari Al-Watan
- Hamdi Al-Zaaem (Al-Hayat)
- Mohammed Hassan (Al-Nabaa Al-Watani)
- Osama Al-Beshbeshi (Baladi website)
- Mohammed Haz (Freelance journalist)
- Omar Adel (Zoom News website)
- Mohammed Al-jenidi (Freelance journalist)
- Hussein Abdul-Halim of Al-Dostor)
- Hassan Al-Qabbani (Al-Karama newspaper)
- Mohammed Saber Al-Batawi (Al-Akhbar)
- Ibrahim Al-Dadrawi (Al-Qawmiya for distribution)
- Mohsen Radi (Al-Daawa)
- Said Abu Haj (Sinai Media Center)
- Amr Al-Khafif (Former director of broadcast engineering in ERTU)
- Emad Abu Zaid (Al-Ahram)
- Mohammed Abossoul (Akhbar Al-Youm)
- Abdo Desuqi (Ikhwanweb)
- Mohammed Ibrahim Shukri (Al-Omma TV channel)
- Walid Shalabi (Ikhwan Online)
- Yusuf Talat (Al-Sabab TV channel)
- Mahmoud Mostafa Saad (Alnahar newspaper)
- Ammar Abdul Majid (Al-Hadath website)
- Sabri Anwar (Elbadil newspaper)
- Samhi Mostafa (Rassd network)
- Ibrahim Suleiman (5thTV channel – National TV)
- Omar Abdul-Maksoud (Masralarabia.com)
- Mahmoud Abu Zeid, (aka Shawkan) (Demotix photo agency)
- Bakri Abdul-Aal (Al-Raya newspaper)
- Mohammed Al-Saeed Al-Dashti (Al-Mashhad newspaper)
- Abdul-Rahman Shahin (Freedom and justice newspaper – Aljazeera TV channel)
- Mohammed Salah Madani (Misr 25 TV channel)
- Khaled Hamdi (Misr 25 TV channel)
- Khaled Abdul-Aziz (Misr 25 TV channel)
- Jamal Al-Alem (Misr 25 TV channel)
- Osama Ezzuddin (Misr 25 TV channel)
- Mohammad Al-Adli (Amjad TV channel)
- Abdullah Al-Fakharani (Rassd network)
- Moataz Mostafa Shahin (Freedom and Justice newspaper)
- Mohamed Salah Sowaidan (Freelance photographer)
- Mahmoud Abdul-Nabi Awwad (Rassd network)
- Ibrahim Abdul-Nabi Awwad (Rassd network)
- Khaled Abdul-Rauf Sahlob (Rassd network)
- Khaled Hamza (Managing editor of IkhwanWeb)
- Sayed Musa (Amjad TV channel)
- Karim Mostafa Al-Sayed (Al-Shabab TV channel)
- Mohammed Ezzat (Ikhwan Online)
- Abdullah Shousha (Amjad TV channel)
- Ahmed Lashin (Misr 25 TV channel)
- Shadi Abdul-Hamid (Freelance correspondent)
- Suhaib Saad Al-Haddad (Freelance correspondent, Aljazeera)
- Khalid Mohammed Abdul-Rahman (Freelance correspondent, Aljazeera)
- Wael Al-Heddini (Freelance correspondent)
- Mohammed Maamoun Abu Shousha (Ahrar 25 TV channel)
- Ibrahim Talha (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Mahmoud Jamal Ali Othman (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Mohyi Qasem Mohammed Abdul-Jawwad (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Mohammed Mostafa Abdul-Nasser Abdul-Qadir (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Ahmed Muharram Abdul-Salam (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Ahmed Abdul-Monem Zahran (Al-Mukhtar Al-Islami magazine)
- Sameh Mohammed Ahmed Bakri (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Abdullah Jamal Moftah (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Ammar Samir Abdul-Ghani Ahmad (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Ahmed Khamis Mahmoud Kheder (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Belal Abdullah Ahmad (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Abdul-Rahman Hassan Abdul-Hafiz (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Ahmed Khamis Anwar Abdul-Qawi (Stringer for satellite TV channels
- Osama Hashem Mohammed Hashem (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Mohamed Hossamuddin Abdul-Halim Al-Kafrawi (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Omar Mohamed Mabrouk Al-Sawi (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Najjar (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Shehata (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
- Islam Gomaa (Misr 25 TV channel)
- Ahmed Hamouda Al-Sakhawi (Misr newspaper)
- Ahmed Al-Mansi (Shabab News website)
- Mahmoud Abdul-Latif (Shabab News website)
- Ibrahim Samir (Freelance correspondent)
- Islam Al-Banna (Freelance correspondent)
- Islam Atef (Al-Omma website)
- Ahmed Abu Khabeer (Al-Omma website)
- Ahmed Maher Ali (Freelance correspondent)
- Assem Abdul-Fattah (Al-Omma website)
- Omar Khedr (Rassd network)
- Omar Mabrouk (Freelance journalist)
- Mahmoud Yahia (Al-Omma TV channel)
- Badr Mohammed Badr (Al-Osra Al-Arabiya)
- Ahmed Nasser (Freelance journalist)
- Hazem Reda (Horriapost.net)
- Sara Mahanna (Yanairgate.net)
