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| Africa North | ||
| Egypt police confiscate rights group's publication | ||
| 2014-06-16 | ||
Egyptian security forces confiscated copies of a human rights groupâs newsletter, saying the publication threatened the government, the head of the group said on Sunday.
The newsletter is a digest of blogs and social media content that has been distributed to select readers by mail since 2010. The current issue focused on newly elected President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, with activists discussing the sources of his popularity. Some of the contributors argued in favour of Al Sisiâs left-wing opponent in the elections. Another commentator supported Al Sisiâs election, saying he would keep Egypt a secular state. The issue also included an article on journalist who works for Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera who has been in detention since last year, without formal charges and on hunger strike for over 100 days in protest. Security officials were not immediately available for comment. Lawyers said a police investigation was underway. Eid said security officials told lawyers that the publication was part of a plan to âoverthrow the regimeâ and was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, which the government declared a terrorist organisation last year. Eid called the accusations âludicrous,â and gave an ominous sign for freedom of expression under the new president, just a week into his term. Eid said that since his publication wasnât even sold to the public its seizure meant the crackdown was escalating to include non-governmental organisations critical of the governmentâs restrictions on freedoms. He said the confiscation was a violation of the law and unconstitutional. Egyptâs newly amended constitution, approved after Mursiâs ouster, states that censorship or confiscation of publications is prohibited, permitting âlimited censorship in times of war or general mobilization.â
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| Posted by:Steve White |