Monday, May 2, 2016

Egyptian Police Raid Press Syndicate, Arrest Two Journalists

 
Reuters, 02/05 16:06 CET

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian police raided the press syndicate in Cairo late on Sunday and arrested two journalists critical of the government, a syndicate official and reporters said in what the labor union called an unprecedented crackdown on the media.

Labor union officials said this was the first time that police had raided its building — a traditional spot in downtown Cairo for staging protests — as authorities seek to quell rising dissent against President Abdel Fattah Sisi.

The interior ministry denied officers had stormed the press labor union building but confirmed it had arrested journalists Mahmoud El Sakka and Amr Badr who work for the opposition website Bawabet Yanayer inside the syndicate.

Hundreds of officers have been deployed in central Cairo since protests erupted on April 15 against Sisi’s decision to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia, with thousands calling for the government to fall, a slogan from the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. Police dispersed smaller protests two weeks later. 

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Source: Euronews

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