Well-known journalist arrested in continuing crackdown on dissent

Hossam Bahgat, a well-known investigative reporter and human rights defender was Following his arrest on 8 November, officials ordered his provisional detention for four days for “publishing false information endangering national interests.” Reporters Without Borders is unaware of the reason for his release, which followed many international calls for him to be freed, including an appeal from the UN. It nonetheless seems that the charges against him have not been dropped. Bahgat was arrested after responding to a summons issued three days earlier to report to military intelligence headquarters in Cairo, where he was interrogated for seven hours. Today, military prosecutors ordered him held provisionally for four days for the purposes of investigation. His most recent major story, for the Mada Masr news website last month, was about the trial and conviction in late August of 26 former military officers accused of conspiring with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to “overthrow the government.” Bahgat’s arrest has been widely condemned by international human rights NGOs and on social networks. “The space for freedom of expression and information has never been so limited in Egypt,” said Alexandra El Khazen, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Middle East desk. “A journalist who dares to ask questions and stimulate a debate about matters of public interest is automatically regarded as a potential enemy of the government. The past weekend’s cases are a perfect example of this problem. The number of journalists in detention is alarming. The constant persecution of dissident voices must stop.” The management of the national TV station Al-Qahera yesterday suspended anchor Azzah Al-Hinnawi for directly appealing to President Sisi to tackle corruption during a programme last week about the heavy rain and flooding at the beginning of the week in Alexandria and Beheira. She criticized the performance of Sisi and other officials and called on the president to present his plan of action to the people. Accusing her of a “lack of professionalism,” Al-Qahera’s management said she had been suspended and would be questioned by the judicial authorities. President Sisi had already warned the media about unprofessional coverage of the flooding in Alexandria early last week. Salah Diab, a businessman and founder of the daily Al-Masry al-Youm, was arrested at his home in Gizeh yesterday for still unclear reasons believed to be linked to the newspaper’s editorial policies or to a complaint brought against him in connection with corruption allegations. His son was also arrested. Egypt is ranked 158th out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.