Ikshef’s Report on Egypt’s Violations against Media Freedoms in April 2017

53 violations in April, most notably refusing entry of two Sudanese journalists

London, 5 May 2017

In April 2017 there were 53 violations most notably preventing two Sudanese journalists from entering Egypt. The remaining violations ranged from 5 ones in prison, 34 trials and communications, 15 coverage bans, 10 physical abuses, 5 publishing bans or blocking programs and satellite channels and one case of collective layoff.

Arrest and detention: one case

April witnessed one case of detention and imprisonment related to journalist Ahmed Nasser. There were neither enforced disappearances nor releases.

Violations in prisons: 5 cases

April witnessed 5 cases of violations in prisons against journalists, as usual, like medical negligence in prisons against journalists Samhi Mostafa of Rassd website and Mohsen Rady, as well as the continuing enforced disappearance of journalist Ahmed Zahran and preventing his family and lawyers from seeing him.

There is a unique case of freelance journalist Ahmed Farouq who is held without being charged for more than 165 days despite the release of all those named in the case in he is enlisted in.

Trials and communications: 34 cases

This section included 34 cases of violations against journalists in April, including six convictions and the renewal of pre-trial detention of journalists and media staff, including those who are accused in the so-called “media committees” case.

This is as well sentencing journalist Ahmad Mousa for 6 months in prison.

Other cases include upholding a fine ruling against journalist Mohammed Kharajah, as well as sentencing some journalists of Akhabr Al-Youm to prion, and the renewal of the ongoing imprisonment of a large number of journalists, especially those who were enlisted in the famous case called “Rabaa chamber”

Prevention of coverage: 15 cases

April witnessed 14 cases of prevention of coverage, which as usual carried out by government institutions like courts, where coverage of many cases were prevented. This as well as in ministries and government bodies.

The ban extended to sporting clubs and football matches, as happened by the head of Zamalek club who prevented covering activities of his team.

Additionally, coverage has been prevented in the events related to churches, whether those associated with bombings or other occasions, especially the visit of Pope Francis to Egypt.

Physical abuses and raids: 10 cases

In April, there were 10 cases of attacks on journalists, the most notable of which was related to the bombings in two Egyptian churches, where journalists and media personnel were attacked and banned from coverage.

This beside the attack of villagers on a television presenter. Moreover, usual attacks by security personnel in sporting clubs and other institutions continued.

Prevention of publishing, and blocking programs and satellite channels: 5 cases

This section witnessed 5 cases during April, most notably was the prevention of an article by the journalist Gamal Al-Gamal in Al-Masry Al-Youm, the blocking of social media by the Egyptian government, as well as forcing Al-Ahram’s chairman of the board of directors to resign and disrupting satellite channels opposed to the ruling regime.

Layoffs:

There was one case of layoffs in April in Al-Dostour newspaper that included 5 journalists

Travel Restrictions:

There were 2 travel bans in April, but what is new is that they were against two Sudanese journalists coming to Cairo and not the opposite. They were detained at Cairo airport and then returned to Sudan.

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Below is an updated list of detained journalists in Egypt till April 31, 2017 (98 Journalists):

1. Magdi Ahmed Hussein (Editor of Al-Shaab Al-Jadeed)
2. Hani Salah Al-Din (Managing editor of Youm7)
3. Hisham Jaafar (MADA)
4. Ismail Al-Iskandrani (Freelance journalist)
5. Mahmoud Hussain, Al-Jazeera news network
6. Reem Qotb Jabarah, independent film director
7. Mohammed Farag, freelance journalist
8. Nabil Al-Ashri, editor of Mubasher website
9. Mohammed Al-Shaer, of Mubasher website
10. Mohammed Salah Sharara, Qatari Al-Watan
11. Hamdi Abdul-Aziz (Zoomnews)
12. Hamdi Al-Zaaem (Al-Hayat)
13. Mohammed Hassan (Al-Nabaa Al-Watani)
14. Osama Al-Beshbeshi (Baladi website)
15. Mohammed Haz (Freelance journalist)
16. Omar Adel (Zoom News website)
17. Mohammed Al-jenidi (Freelance journalist)
18. Hussein Abdul-Halim of Al-Dostor)
19. Ahmed Sebaie (Head of Al-Aqsa TV office in Egypt)
20. Hassan Al-Qabbani (Al-Karama newspaper)
21. Mohammed Saber Al-Batawi (Al-Akhbar)
22. Ibrahim Al-Dadrawi (Al-Qawmiya for distribution)
23. Mohsen Radi (Al-Daawa)
24. Said Abu Haj (Sinai Media Center)
25. Amr Al-Khafif (Former director of broadcast engineering in ERTU)
26. Emad Abu Zaid (Al-Ahram)
27. Mohammed Abossoul (Akhbar Al-Youm)
28. Abdo Desuqi (Ikhwanweb)
29. Mohammed Ibrahim Shukri (Al-Omma TV channel)
30. Walid Shalabi (Ikhwan Online)
31. Yusuf Talat (Al-Sabab TV channel)
32. Mahmoud Mostafa Saad (Alnahar newspaper)
33. Ammar Abdul Majid (Al-Hadath website)
34. Sabri Anwar (Elbadil newspaper)
35. Samhi Mostafa (Rassd network)
36. Ibrahim Suleiman (5^thTV channel – National TV)
37. Omar Abdul-Maksoud (Masralarabia.com)
38. Mahmoud Abu Zeid, (aka Shawkan) (Demotix photo agency)
39. Bakri Abdul-Aal (Al-Raya newspaper)
40. Mohammed Al-Saeed Al-Dashti (Al-Mashhad newspaper)
41. Abdul-Rahman Shahin (Freedom and justice newspaper – Aljazeera TV channel)
42. Mohammed Salah Madani (Misr 25 TV channel)
43. Musaad Al-Barbari (Director Ahrar 25 TV channel)
44. Khaled Hamdi (Misr 25 TV channel)
45. Khaled Abdul-Aziz (Misr 25 TV channel)
46. Jamal Al-Alem (Misr 25 TV channel)
47. Osama Ezzuddin (Misr 25 TV channel)
48. Mohammad Al-Adli (Amjad TV channel)
49. Abdullah Al-Fakharani (Rassd network)
50. Moataz Mostafa Shahin (Freedom and Justice newspaper)
51. Mohamed Salah Sowaidan (Freelance photographer)
52. Mahmoud Abdul-Nabi Awad (Rassd network)
53. Ibrahim Abdul-Nabi Awad (Rassd network)
54. Khaled Abdul-Rauf Sahlob (Rassd network)
55. Khaled Hamza (Managing editor of IkhwanWeb)
56. Sayed Musa (Amjad TV channel)
57. Karim Mostafa Al-Sayed (Al-Shabab TV channel)
58. Mohammed Ezzat (Ikhwan Online)
59. Abdullah Shousha (Amjad TV channel)
60. Ahmed Lashin (Misr 25 TV channel)
61. Shadi Abdul-Hamid (Freelance correspondent)
62. Suhaib Saad Al-Haddad (Freelance correspondent, Aljazeera)
63. Khalid Mohammed Abdul-Rahman (Freelance correspondent, Aljazeera)
64. Wael Al-Heddini (Freelance correspondent)
65. Mohammed Maamoun Abu Shousha (Ahrar 25 TV channel)
66. Ibrahim Talha (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
67. Mahmoud Jamal Ali Othman (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
68. Mohyi Qasem Mohammed Abdul-Jawwad (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
69. Mohammed Mostafa Abdul-Nasser Abdul-Qadir (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
70. Ahmed Muharram Abdul-Salam (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
71. Ahmed Abdul-Monem Zahran (Al-Mukhtar Al-Islami magazine)
72. Sameh Mohammed Ahmed Bakri (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
73. Abdullah Jamal Moftah (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
74. Ammar Samir Abdul-Ghani Ahmad (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
75. Ahmed Khamis Mahmoud Kheder (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
76. Belal Abdullah Ahmad (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
77. Abdul-Rahman Hassan Abdul-Hafiz (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
78. Ahmed Khamis Anwar Abdul-Qawi (Stringer for satellite TV channels
79. Osama Hashem Mohammed Hashem (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
80. Mohamed Hossamuddin Abdul-Halim Al-Kafrawi (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
81. Omar Mohamed Mabrouk Al-Sawi (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
82. Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Najjar (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
83. Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Shehata (Stringer for satellite TV channels)
84. Islam Gomaa (Misr 25 TV channel)
85. Ahmed Hamouda Al-Sakhawi (Misr newspaper)
86. Ahmed Al-Mansi (Shabab News website)
87. Mahmoud Abdul-Latif (Shabab News website)
88. Ibrahim Samir (Freelance correspondent)
89. Islam Al-Banna (Freelance correspondent)
90. Islam Atef (Al-Omma website)
91. Ahmed Abu Khabeer (Al-Omma website)
92. Ahmed Maher Ali (Freelance correspondent)
93. Assem Abdul-Fattah (Al-Omma website)
94. Omar Khedr (Rassd network)
95. Omar Mabrouk (Freelance journalist)
96. Mahmoud Yahia (Al-Omma TV channel)
97. Badr Mohammed Badr (Al-Osra Al-Arabiya)
98. Ahmed Nasser (Freelance journalist)