A list of penalties prepared by the Supreme Council for Media Regulations (SCMR), Egypt's top media regulator, and approved by the House of Representatives, came into effect last week. Compiled late last year, the list of sanctions to be applied against individuals or institutions found to have violated media regulations were approved this month and published in the official gazette on 18 March. They cover everything screened on TV, published in a newspaper, online website or social media accounts with more than 5,000 followers. Some violations can result in fines of up to LE250,000 and the permanent blocking of sites. The list has provoked unease in the press and media community and has been denounced by some as unconstitutional. Writer and media expert Yasser Abdel-Aziz says some of the penalties listed contradict rights enshrined in the constitution, and cast a heavy shadow over freedom of opinion and expression. “Article 211 of the constitution limits the SCMR's authority to organising audio and visual media and printed and digital media. The SCMR has no constitutional authority to expand its mandate to personal social media accounts,” Abdel-Aziz wrote in the daily Al-Masry Al-Youm. “The list also violates Article 77 of the constitution which confers on syndicates the right to hold their members to account for professional misdemeanours. The SCMR has now usurped this right, and is in a position to ban media outlets, something specifically prohibited by Article 71 of the constitution.” The newly promulgated regulations allow the distribution or broadcast of press, media or advertising material to be halted for a definite or indefinite period in case of “the dissemination of any material that violates the provisions of the law, SMRC decisions, or the code of ethics”. “The Press Syndicate board will discuss appealing the sanctions list issued by the SCMR before the Administrative Court,” said Mohamed Saad Abdel-Hafez, a board member. Abdel-Hafez says the list effectively means the SCMR is usurping judicial authority by allowing it to impose sanctions, and the authority of syndicates to refer their members to disciplinary hearings. Newly-elected head of Press Syndicate Diaa Rashwan says “the syndicate will soon give its opinion on whether the list of sanctions contravenes the constitution.” In his first statement since being elected syndicate head, Rashwan said the syndicate is scheduled to discuss all the provisions contained in the list and to review reports expressing concern over the provisions prepared in January by the syndicate's council and forwarded to the SCMR. “Some items on list have met with widespread opposition among the Egyptian press community,” said Rashwan. He insists that the syndicate has sole responsibility for ensuring its members comply with professional standards. Writer Ammar Ali Hassan says the list issued by the SCMR “will eliminate the press and media profession in Egypt”. “The strangulation, or even killing, of freedoms is no solution. Those who seek to quash every opposition opinion will leave Egyptians prey to foreign media which they themselves describe as waging psychological warfare against Egypt.” SCMR head Makram Mohamed Ahmed claims the opposition of journalists and media professionals to the list amounted to a campaign of distortion. The list was approved by the State Council and the comments of journalists and media personnel were taken into consideration as it was being compiled, he said. In the first implementation of the new penalties, Ahmed ordered on Friday that the privately-owned newspaper Al-Mashhad be banned for six months and fined LE50,000 for publishing inappropriate content. The SCMR said the newspaper had defamed one actress by publishing inappropriate photos of her on social media and insulted a second actress. Editor-in-chief of Al-Mashhad Magdi Shendi denied his newspaper had published any content that violated media ethics and announced the paper would appeal the SCMR's decision.
