July, 07 2015, 11:15am EDT
With More Journalist Arrests, Press Freedom Further Declines in Egypt
WASHINGTON
Egyptian authorities arrested four journalists last week around the two-year anniversary of the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, according to news reports and local press freedom groups.
Wagdy Khaled, a photographer for the weekly newspaper Al-Masriya, was arrested on Friday while he was taking photographs outside the Omar Makram mosque in downtown Cairo, according to local press freedom groups. He is being held in Cairo's Kasr el Nil police station pending investigation on charges of belonging to the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, according to news reports.
Police on Wednesday arrested Mohamed Adly, a correspondent for the independent newspaper Tahrir; Hamdy Mokhtar, a photojournalist for the opposition news website El-Shaab el-Jadeed; and freelance journalist Sherif Ashraf in Cairo on Wednesday, according to the local press freedom group Journalists Against Torture Observatory and news reports. The journalists were covering the arrival of the bodies of nine Muslim Brotherhood members who had been killed in a raid by security forces that day, according to the reports. The raid occurred two days after Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat was killed in a bomb attack on his convoy in Cairo. Egypt's State Information Service said the Muslim Brotherhood was behind the attack.
The journalists are held pending investigation on charges of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, spreading false information, and working for Al-Jazeera, which is banned in Egypt, according to news reports and local press freedom groups. The three are being held in Sayyeda Zeinab police stationin Cairo.
"The crackdown on the press is deepening at a time when the public needs independent reporting on the security threats that Egypt is facing," CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said. "We call on the authorities to release these journalists immediately and drop all charges against them."
Egypt was holding at least 18 journalists in prison on June 1, according to a census conducted by CPJ. Most of the journalists have been accused of belonging to the Brotherhood.
At least six other journalists were arrested in Cairo on July 1, but were released on the same day, according to the Journalists Against Torture Observatory. The group also documented four cases last week in which journalists were obstructed from covering events and attacks.
In a separate case, Mohamed al-Amin, head of the privately owned television channel CBC; Magdy el-Gallad, the editor-in-chief of Al-Watan newspaper; and Wael Saad, a journalist for the same paper, were sentenced on Thursday to six months in prison and each fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds (US$1,290) in a criminal defamation suit, according Al-Watan and news reports. The suit was brought by Fathy al-Azazi, head of the Financial Irregularities Division at the Accountability State Authority, who accused the journalists of spreading false news about the Authority on the CBC TV show "Lazem Nefham," according to reports.
Separately, Mohamed el-Battawy, a correspondent for the independent daily Akhbar al-Youm, was arrested at his home in the governorate of Qalyoubiya on June 17, according to news reports. He is being held on charges of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to his outlet.
On Sunday, the government announced an anti-terrorism bill, which includes an article that would impose a minimum of two years in prison on journalists convicted of publishing news about terrorist operations "that contradict official statements," according to news reports.The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate and several press freedom groups said the article was unconstitutional. The bill awaits the approval of President Abdelfattah el-Sisi.
"Journalists' ability to report and investigate in Egypt is already severely hampered by security forces," CPJ's Mansour said. "If adopted, this law will mean that the only permissible narrative on certain stories is that of the state."
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
(212) 465-1004LATEST NEWS
Biden Says Netanyahu 'Hurting Israel' With Gaza Policy But Vows Unwavering Support, Weapons
"Biden said the death toll in Gaza is 'contrary to what Israel stands for,'" said one critic. "Maybe it's time to admit that that is what Israel stands for."
Mar 10, 2024
President Joe Biden said Saturday that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not handling the situation in Gaza the way it should be, but said U.S. support for its ally will remain.
Following the State of the Union address on Thursday, Biden was caught on a hot mic telling Democratic lawmakers that he had privately told Netanyahu that "you and I are going to have a 'Come-to-Jesus' meeting," suggesting a crossroad when it comes to the U.S. president's so far unconditional support for the Israeli prime minister and his government's policies.
Asked about the comment on Saturday during an interview with MSNBC, Biden said the death toll in Gaza—which he placed at 30,000 people, the approximate current figure used by the health ministry in Gaza—is "contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think is a big mistake."
Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch and now a visiting professor at Princeton University, took on Sunday issue with Biden's remarks, even as they reflected a much more critical stance.
"Biden said the death toll in Gaza is 'contrary to what Israel stands for,'" said Roth. "But Israel is imposing it deliberately, just as it imposes apartheid and the expansion of war-crime settlements. Maybe it's time to admit that that is what Israel stands for."
Biden said Netanyahu is "hurting Israel more than helping Israel" by the way he continues to conduct the assault on Gaza, and said that he wants "to see a cease-fire" so that a "major, major" prisoner exchange can take place with an initial six-week period in which fighting is stopped and noted the start of the holy month of Ramadan that begins next week.
Biden further called the looming threat to invade Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians with nowhere else to go have sought shelter and safety, a "red line" that he does not want Israel to cross, but added that he would "never leave Israel" or stop supporting what he called the nation's right to defend itself.
"The defense of Israel is still critical, so there's no red line I'm going to cut off all weapons so they don't have the Iron Dome to protect them," Biden said.
“The defense of Israel is still critical,” President Joe Biden tells Jonathan Capehart. “But there's red lines that if he crosses…cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead.” pic.twitter.com/0SAPJySAYS
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 9, 2024
On Friday, the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights warned the "already catastrophic" situation in Gaza would "slide deeper into the abyss" if Israel carried out its promised attack on Rafah.
"Any ground assault on Rafah would incur massive loss of life and would heighten the risk of further atrocity crimes," said the Commission's spokesperson Jeremy Laurence. "This must not be allowed to happen."
During his interview with MSNBC, Biden downplayed those in Democratic primaries over recent weeks who have voted "uncommitted" to voice their disapproval of his unrelenting backing of Israel as it carries out what experts and critics have said is a clear case of genocide in Gaza.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Doing Something Trump Almost Never Does, Biden Apologizes
Following criticism, Biden said he regrets using the noun "illegal" to characterize an immigrant during his State of the Union address.
Mar 10, 2024
President Joe Biden did something Saturday night his 2024 Republican rival Donald Trump rarely, if ever, does: he apologized in the form of expressing regret.
Following vocal criticism of his use of the word "illegal" to describe an immigrant during Thursday's State of the Union address, Biden admitted during his weekend interview with MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart that he should not have used the word widely spewed by right-wing xenophobes and GOP lawmakers to denigrate undocumented migrants and refugees residing in the country.
"I shouldn't have used 'illegal,' it's 'undocumented,'" Biden said.
"When I spoke about the difference between Trump and me, one of the things I talked about in the border was his, the way he talks about 'vermin,' the way he talks about these people polluting the 'blood.' I talked about what I'm not going to do. What I won't do. I'm not going to treat any of these people with disrespect."
Watch:
NEW: President Biden tells @CapehartJ that he regrets using the word "illegal" during his State of the Union speech to refer to the alleged killer of Laken Riley.
“I shouldn't have used 'illegal.' It's undocumented."
Tune in at 6pm ET on MSNBC for the full interview. pic.twitter.com/EX7XuyhF1N
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 9, 2024
"It takes a big person to admit their mistakes," said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a voter mobilization group. "As an immigrant, this retraction means a lot to me."
During his Thursday night address, Biden took the bait from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), shouting about a woman named Laken Riley, who was allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant and has now become the latest victim of violence exploited by the GOP to demagogue and fearmonger over immigration.
"Laken Riley" said Biden in response to Greene, "an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. "To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you."
The president was immediately and roundly rebuked by progressives and immigrant rights advocates for the comment.
"Let me be clear: No human being is illegal," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), responded by saying: "Just like we should not be implementing Republican policy, we should not be repeating Republican rhetoric."
Despite many reactions like that, Biden defended his use of the word again on Friday. When asked about his use of the word by a reporter, Biden said, "Technically, they are not supposed to be here."
But Saturday's reversal was welcome by many of the same voices who had earlier condemned the president's choice of words.
"I'm glad to hear Biden taking back his comment," said Erika Andiola, an immigrants rights activist, who on Thursday night called Biden's remarks hurtful and argued that "words matter" because they ultimately shape opinion and policy.
"He's the President," Andiola said late Saturday in response to Biden's new comment. "His words can shape narratives and using the 'I' word to describe any undocumented person or asylum seeker can have negative consequences against our communities."
As is well-documented, but requires repeating every time the issue arises, U.S. citizens commit violent crimes at much higher rates than undocumented people but this has never stop the political right from deploying these tropes—especially during election years.
Despite the ability to reverse course on rhetoric, it has been Biden's policies around the border which have most concerned immigrant rights defenders.
Ahead of a visit to a border area in Texas last month, Amnesty International USA called on Biden to reverse course on supporting a legislative deal, now languishing in Congress, that largely embraced "cruel" Trump-like policies of deterrence and rolled back key protections for refugees and those seeking asylum.
"President Biden needs to find the political courage to rise above the growing tide of xenophobia and return to his promise to push for commonsense solutions that center safety and human rights," said Amy Fischer, director of refugee and migrant rights for Amnesty, at the time. "Until he does that, he'll only be on a race to the bottom as far as who can be the cruelest to those who need protection."
The propensity of Trump—who still broadly refuses to admit he lost the 2020 election to Biden even as he faces federal charges over his role in the January 6 insurrection effort—to never show contrition or confess wrongdoing has been widely documented in articles over the years with headlines like: "Donald Trump is not sorry. Ever"; "Trump Never Apologizes But Says It's a Great Thing"; "Trump's Rare Apology—A FactCheck"; and "Trump's Apology That Wasn't."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Beyond Misleading': Katie Britt Border Story Debunked With Bruising TikTok Takedown
"This is worth every minute," said one person who watched the 7-minute take down.
Mar 09, 2024
A freelance journalist is receiving widespread praise for his "must-see" critique of a story told by Alabama's Republican Senator Katie Britt during her official Republican Party response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union on Thursday night.
In the 7-minute and 23-second video posted to TikTok on Friday, reporter and book author Jonathan M. Katz deconstructs a key portion of Britt's speech, remarks overall that were widely panned as a "creepy" representation of the far-right, xenophobic, Christian nationalism that has found a home in Donald Trump's GOP.
The specific claim in question centers on Britt's telling of a story about a 12-year-old girl who suffered sexual violence, including rape, at the hands of drug cartels—but the details of the horrifying story, according to the facts established by Katz, reveal a clear effort to deceive those watching her speech.
"Holy moly... Jonathan Katz exposes Katie Britt as a lying sack of shit."
In the video, Katz says the facts he was able to determine about Britt's claims—which she delivered to millions of American viewers on Thursday night as the response was featured live on Fox News and countless live streams across the internet—was "beyond misleading."
Watch:
@katzonearth This isn’t going to make her like TikTok more. #katiebritt #sotu #stateoftheunion #lies #politicians #biden2024 #trump2024 #immigration #traffickingawarenes #mexico #bordersecurity #fyp ♬ original sound - Jonathan M. Katz
"Holy moly. This is worth every minute," said writer Nick Knudsen after watching the video. "Jonathan Katz exposes Katie Britt as a lying sack of shit."
Because the woman he identified as the source of the story, a Mexican activist named Karla Jacinto Romero, has retold her personal history repeatedly in public, including in front of Congress, for years and explained that events described took place in Mexico between 2004 and 2008 when she was a child and George W. Bush was president, Katz slammed Britt for making it seem "as if this woman had confided something in her and as if she was describing actions that had taken place on or even near the U.S.-Mexico border during Joe Biden's presidency," which just isn't true based on the record.
"I don't know even know what to say," Katz remarks in the video, "except that it is just fundamentally dishonest."
The gut-wrenching story that Britt told to fearmonger over Biden's border policy and denigrate immigrants and asylum-seekers to right-wing voters and unsuspecting viewers, explains Katz, "didn't happen in the United States" and "it's not an example of something that happened recently and is not even an example of something that happened on the border, and certainly not something that happened under Joe Biden."
But why would she do that? "It's very clear to me," says Katz, that Britt was "trying to create an association in the people's mind between Joe Biden, the border, Mexicans... or people of Latin descent, and sexual violence. That's what she's going for and she's doing it on the basis of what you can only say is just an out and out lie."
Katz said Friday he reached out to Britt's office for some kind of explanation but had yet to hear back. He said he would update his post if he learned more from the Senator or her office, "But for now it just looks like she got on national television and lied about something really horrific and really important for her own personal and her party's political gain."
The Washington Post later confirmed with Sean Ross, a spokesperson in Britt's office, that the women referred to during Thursday night's speech was Karla Jacinto Romero, but disputed anything about the senator's language was misleading.
But many who had watched Katz's seemed much more convinced of his case and others condemned Britt for exploiting Romero's story for cynical and deceptive political gain.
Josh Marshall, editor-in-chief of TalkingPointsMemo, congratulated Katz on the "amazing" piece and said the video revealed that Britt is "not only an emotionally disregulated freak, but a big fat liar."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular