CAIRO: Egypt's press syndicate condemned the attacks on journalists in the ongoing clashes between the military and riot police and thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square. The syndicate said they will take legal action to guarantee its members' rights as they were attacked while they were performing their job. The syndicate said two journalists were detained by military police and 10 other journalists were injured, and many are in hospitals. The military police also confiscated a number of cameras from photojournalists and refused to return them. Many journalists reported being harassed by police throughout the day. They reported the police did not care about their credentials and attacked them with excessive force. An al-Masry al-Youm photojournalist lost his right eye after being shot with a rubber bullet. He remain in the operation room to salvage what was left from the eye, the newspaper reported. “The attacks on journalists today were deliberate from the army and the police. It was an unprecedented attack since the revolution. The number of injured and detained had never happened before, even during the 18 days of uprising,” Karem Mahmoud, secretary of the press syndicate told ON TV late on Saturday night. “We will get their rights back through the proper channels and we will legally hold those accountable for their violent actions today,” Mahmoud added. The press syndicate was hailed by many for its immediate and unprecedented action after it released a prior statement ordering its journalists to reject any summoning from the military for investigation, in an open refusal to trying civilians in front of military courts. BM
