Egypt Continues Media Crackdown

January 31, 2011 at 4:25 PM

Protests in Egypt continued into a seventh day today as thousands of Egyptians demonstrated against widespread corruption, police brutality and poverty in their country.  The Egyptian government has tried hard to censor its citizens — cutting off internet and phone access — and now journalists find themselves a target in the crackdown on freedom of expression.

Demonstrators have used phone cameras to expose police abuses © Demotix / Nour El Refai

Al Jazeera English said that six journalists were detained today at an army checkpoint outside Cairo’s Hilton hotel. The journalists were held only briefly but their cameras and other equipment was confiscated.

Yesterday, the Cairo bureau of the Al Jazeera network was officially shut down by order of Egypt’s Information Ministry, the network said.

Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:

“This government action against Al Jazeera is just its latest attempt to close down reporting of the protests on the streets and the free flow of information.

“The authorities are clearly trying to intimidate the media and to prevent the truth coming out about abuses by its security forces, as they struggle to maintain their grip on power in the face of unprecedented protests and demands for fundamental change.”

Local and international journalists were assaulted, arrested and their equipment confiscated by security forces throughout recent mass protests against poverty, police abuse and corruption.

The government must not be allowed to put the whole country under an information blackout, and that message needs to be sent to them very clearly by their friends and allies abroad.  You can help send that message by emailing US authorities now and urging them to use their influence to stop these abuses.

In separate incidents, Amnesty International researchers also reported that security forces were confiscating video cameras from people on Cairo’s streets today.

Most of the country’s internet services have been suspended since last Friday.

Mobile phones and social networking sites have been a big factor in helping bring people on to the streets and to organize protests, with people using their phone cameras to expose the reality of police torture and violence. That is why the Egyptian authorities are so keen to target them.

They want to stop the truth emerging. They must not be allowed to succeed.

Click here for other ways you can support the Egyptian people.

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7 thoughts on “Egypt Continues Media Crackdown”

  5. Every revolution brings its most painful face, the brutality that displays the wicked tyranny of power. While an entire nation is facing fear with faith and hope for a new future, tyranny's shame will be written forever in the historical memory of his government.
    Nothing and no one can block peoples dream, this is the greatest lesson that East is giving the West countries, the courage of its people, its indestructible force collective and the resistance to let their dreams die. That's is the truly beginning of wisdom
    Although nobody knows what will happen in the near future (the only security is our ability to change) History knows that all movement is forward.
    All change is growth to reach new heights, because social discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation
    He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is death. Every beginning is a consequence – every beginning should be ends some thing,The struggle for freedom and human rights should be a global struggle, spiritual growth and personal development is the only proof of life.

  6. Every revolution brings its most painful face, the brutality that displays the wicked tyranny of power. While an entire nation is facing fear with faith and hope for a new future, tyranny’s shame will be written forever in the historical memory of his government.
    Nothing and no one can block peoples dream, this is the greatest lesson that East is giving the West countries, the courage of its people, its indestructible force collective and the resistance to let their dreams die. That’s is the truly beginning of wisdom
    Although nobody knows what will happen in the near future (the only security is our ability to change) History knows that all movement is forward.
    All change is growth to reach new heights, because social discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation
    He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is death. Every beginning is a consequence – every beginning should be ends some thing,The struggle for freedom and human rights should be a global struggle, spiritual growth and personal development is the only proof of life.

  7. If these protests are to be stopped then the govt. has to step in and do something about the corruption that has led to the downfall of the greatest country in the world. Thank you for sharing this informative post and please do keep updating.

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