Egypt's State information Service (SIS) reiterated on Wednesday its demand that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) apologise for its recent controversial report on the country's human right situation, which Egyptian officials say contains "lies and allegations." Earlier this month, the BBC published a documentary on BBC World and a report on website on what it claimed are cases of forced disappearances and torture carried out by Egyptian security forces. A 25-year-old Egyptian woman whose mother had alleged was "forcibly disappeared" and "tortured", according to the extensive BBC news story published on Friday, was interviewed on Monday evening by a prominent Egyptian TV host, refuting her mother's claims. The SIS demanded that the BBC issue an immediate apology for the "falsehoods included in its correspondent's report," as well as broadcast the translated TV interview with the Egyptian woman. It also demanded that the BBC take "all necessary professional and administrative measures to correct the errors and violations" in its report. In statements published by Reuters on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the BBC said that they are aware of the statement by the head of the SIS, but that the BBC "stands by the integrity" of its reporting teams. Earlier on Tuesday, the SIS called on Egyptian officials and prominent individuals to boycott the BBC over the report – which it said involved "professional errors and violations, and allegations" about the situation in Egypt – until the public broadcaster issues an official apology. On Wednesday, the SIS called on "all those keen on preserving the truth, integrity and objectivity of professional media" to share the translated interview with the Egyptian woman.
