Egypt’s media crackdown
Is the raid on Al Jazeera Mubasher a sign of a broader crackdown on freedom of expression in post-revolution Egypt?
Security officers raided the offices of Al Jazeera’s Mubasher Misr channel in Egypt, detained some of its staff and confiscated equipment on Sunday.
Egyptian authorities said they also shut down a company that provided facilities to Al Jazeera Mubasher Egypt.
The shutdown comes as the Supreme Council of Armed Forces and the cabinet decided to temporarily suspend granting new permits to satellite channels. They have also decided to prosecute satellite channels that are seen as threatening to the stability of the country – a decision Egyptian rights organisations say amounts to regression back to the oppressive policies of Mubarak’s regime.
Does this signal a broader crackdown on freedom of expression? And is this a setback in post-revolution Egypt?
Inside Story, with presenter Divya Gopalan, discusses with guests: Islam Lotfi, a lawyer of Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr; Maged Reda Botros, a professor of political science at Helwan University in Cairo; and Hisham Kassem, a publisher and human rights activist.