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59 Egyptian journalists held behind bars: rights group

59 Egyptian jailed journalists spotlighted after World Press Freedom Day
MENA
2 min read
Egypt - Cairo
04 May, 2022
A total of 59 Egyptians are currently held behind bars, some of who are serving up to 10-year sentences, according to the Egyptian Network for Human Rights.
Egypt is ranked the world's 3rd worst jailer of journalists. [Getty]

A total of 59 journalists are currently behind bars in Egypt, the Egyptian Network for Human Rights said on Tuesday in light of World Press Freedom Day. 

"As the countries of the free world call for more media freedom, the Egyptian authorities continue to crack down on journalists and free speech by detaining and imprisoning dozens and subjecting them to tough circumstances," the organisation said in the statement posted on Facebook. 

"Even though the Egyptian authorities have released over the past days a number of journalists whose pre-trial detention exceeded the legal two-year limit, others are still behind bars, whether detained or had already received up to 10 year-sentences," the organisation added.

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Earlier last month, two journalists were detained, pending further investigations into the "terrorism-related" charges against them, Hala Fahmy and Safaa El-Korbigi.

Both women had been outspoken critics of the government and the alleged corruption at the headquarters of the Radio and Television Union, the country's state-run broadcaster at Cairo's almost six-decade-old Maspero building. 

Since taking power in 2014, Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has governed the country with an iron fist, and is frequently accused by local and international rights groups of overseeing "the worst crackdown on human rights, freedom of expression, and media in the country's modern history."   

In 2021, Egypt has been ranked the world's third-worst jailer of journalists by the Committee to Protect Journalists, with at least 25 reporters currently locked up.