The editor-in-chief of the privately owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, Ali Al-Sayed, and reporter Ahmed Youssef were released on a LE 2,000 bail last Thursday after being interrogated by the State Security Prosecution for nearly 14 hours. Their questioning was over an unpublished report claiming that the country's 2012 presidential elections were rigged. While ordering their release, the prosecution did not fix a date to continue the interrogation. The complaint against Al-Sayed and Youssef was originally filed by the Interior Ministry, after the daily newspaper announced its intention to publish the documents that would prove the rigging of the 2012 polls in favour of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who had beat his opponent Ahmed Shafik in the runoff vote. Shafik, who remains abroad, later appealed the decision claiming the election was rigged, but the Supreme Presidential Elections Commission rejected his appeal. Prior to the publication of the issue in question, the General Prosecution issued an order obliging the newspaper not to publish their report. The media gag order was issued on 14 October, to remain in place until all investigations relating to the case are completed. Al-Masry Al-Youm agreed to abide by the ban, but following the interrogation, the newspaper's editor-in-chief has accused the Ministry of Interior of “overstepping its authority”. The 14-hour interrogation was over accusations of “unsettling national peace, spreading false information, stealing documents related to Shafik's appeal and publishing news about a case still under investigation by the judiciary”. Following his release, Al-Sayed criticised the Ministry of Interior, saying, “It is trying to silence voices and close down newspapers.” He described the incident as “a dangerous step in the direction of restricting freedom of expression that threatens a return to oppressive practices, against which Egyptians revolted in previous eras.” He said that the issue is purely a “judicial matter”, as the paper had agreed to abide by the publication ban, and as such the ministry had overstepped its authority. “The Interior Ministry intervened in an issue that does not fall under its jurisdiction,” Al-Sayed said in comments to the newspaper. Immediately following the move, several journalists expressed fear that such practices would stifle future attempts by private newspapers to publish documents related to several suspended cases. On Monday, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) condemned the interrogation and the charges levelled at Al-Sayed and Youssef. The association described the incident as a clear violation of press freedom, calling on the Egyptian authorities to abide by the articles of the 2014 Constitution ensuring the freedom and safety of journalists. “The interrogations took place in spite of the newspaper's commitment to follow the prosecution orders and not to publish any banned material,” the association said. According to the association, it is illegal to pressure journalists into revealing their sources, the right to withhold them being guaranteed by Articles 7 and 8 of the Egyptian Press Law. A similar incident, also condemned by the human rights organisation Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), took place on 1 October, in which a whole page also of Al-Masry Al-Youm was censored by “government officials”. The privately-owned newspaper was prevented from distributing the print issue, because it included a sensitive interview with a former agent in the General Intelligence Directorate about special espionage operations of the Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency. Media reports of Al-Masry Al-Youm reporters revealed that top state officials wanted to review the interview before it was published, in order to make sure no sensitive information was included. When Al-Masry Al-Youm refused to hand in the interview, they confiscated the printed issues from the state-owned Al-Ahram's print press. The whole issue was out except for the relevant page after 40,000 copies that had already been printed were discarded. To relieve the tension, during a meeting on Saturday with the head of the Journalists Syndicate, Diaa Rashwan, and the head of the Supreme Press Council, Galal Aref, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb said no new laws would be forced on journalists. Mehleb stressed that the government will not impose any laws on journalists or media professionals, and “will make sure to reach a consensus among all concerned parties before making any legislative changes,” state-run EgyNews online portal reported. A committee of media figures headed by the justice minister was formed to assist the cabinet with legislation related to media and journalism, according to Mehleb. He added that the government “supports freedom of the press,” but emphasised the “necessity of adhering to the ethics and morals of the profession.”
