A day after giving Al Jazeera 'green light' to broadcast, Egypt detains its journalist
A day after giving Al Jazeera 'green light' to broadcast, Egypt detains its journalist
Egyptian authorities detained an Al Jazeera journalist on arrival in Cairo, a day after the Qatari broadcaster featured live reporting from Cairo following an eight-year ban.
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Al Jazeera is one of the region's leading broadcasters [file photo-Getty]
detained an journalist late Sunday, according toÌýa press freedom watchdog,Ìýon the same weekend the Qatari broadcaster from Cairo after an eight-year ban.
Rabee Al-Shaykh, an interview producer, was arrested on arrival atÌýCairo airport,Ìýthe Arab Media Freedom Monitor (Ikshef) said. He had flown inÌýfrom Doha to visit family.
Al-Shaykh was immediately transferred to the headquarters of Egypt's National Security Agency and questioned for several hours. The notorious State Security Prosecution (SSP) later ordered his detention for a period of 15 days on charges of spreading "fake news".
Ikshef said the incidentÌýran contrary to the improvement of Egypt-Qatar relations, including theÌýreinstatement of the country's respective ambassadors. It was particularly worrying since it came a day after Al Jazeera broadcasted live from the Egyptian capital,ÌýIkshef added.
According to Egyptian security sources, the live reporting from Palestinian reporter Shireen Abu Aqla precedesÌýthe planned reopening of the offices of Al Jazeera's Cairo offices, dueÌýin the coming weeks.
The broadcaster's wholesale closure had been a central demand of Egypt and a number of Gulf states when they launched a blockade onÌýQatar in March 2017. Its offices in Egypt had been shut since July 2013, when they were raided by security forces hours after the military coup againstÌýPresident Mohamed Morsi.
Ikhshef added that the end of the broadcasting hiatus was takenÌýto beÌýa signal of Egypt's changing stance towards the broadcaster and its staff. ThisÌýpromptedÌýAl-Shaykh, a citizen of Egypt, to return home to visit hisÌýcountry.
Egypt is known to be one of the world's most repressive environments for journalists, with the Al-Sisi regimeÌýhaving stifledÌýcriticism via security forces andÌýlaws criminalising dissent. ÌýÌý
In February, Egyptian authorities released Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein after more than four years in detention without trial. In 2013, three journalistsÌýwere arrested for spreading "fake news"Ìý– Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy, and Baher Mohamed.
Greste was released in 2015 while the remaining two were released in 2020 under a presidential pardon.
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