Cairo (AsiaNews) – Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi has approved a new law that "organises" the press and information media.
As of this morning (27 December), all of the country's information media are under a Supreme Council for the Press and Media. The new law stipulates that the Council’s official executive status will be issued within three months.
"The law is very similar to that presented by the Journalists' Union, but with some differences,” said Ossama Heikal, chairman of Media Committee of the Egyptian Parliament. “The fines for those who break this law have increased from 50,000 to 500,000 Egyptian pounds" (US$ 2,600 to 26,000).
According to most human rights groups, the new state body will just control freedom of expression.
The Council will be headed by persons picked by the president and will have the right to suspend the publication or dissemination of news. It will also have the authority to withdraw permits from foreign journalists.
NGOs are well aware that violations of freedom of expression are frequent in Egypt. According to a report by Reporters Without Borders, Egypt is the third country in the world for the number of journalists arrested in 2016.
