Egypt: Concern over Increased Media Censorship

The offices of  Al Jazeera Egyptian affiliate Mubasher Misr were raided and shut down by security forces in plain clothes Sunday.  The channel is known for its coverage of protests, including Friday’s attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo. While members of the Interior Ministry said that the shut-down was due to the station’s operation without a license, some accused the “military-led transitional government” of implementing a comprehensive media crackdown in order to “ensure law and order” after Friday’s attack.  SCAF announced its plans to reinstate  a full Emergency Law over the weekend. Officials from both Egypt and Israel expressed their plans to restore diplomatic relations, while Israel asked for more assurance for the safety of Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon and his family before they would return to Cairo.

Egyptian media minister Osama Heikal said the government would take action against any media outlet that is thought to “endanger the stability and security” of the country.  The channel’s attorney stated that it had applied for a license in March with no response.  Furthermore, Heikal stated last week that the government would stop granting licenses altogether due to security concerns.  Wahid Abdel Meguid of Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies called the raid “an attack on the media as a whole.” Meanwhile, the judge in the Battle of the Camel trial prohibited live media coverage of the proceedings Monday.