Egypt cracks down on free speech, raids news site Mada Masr over Christian persecution coverage
Egyptian authorities raided one of the last independent news sites in the country, Mada Masr, after having arrested one of their editors the day prior. The news site has received international awards for its independent investigative reporting. But as Egypt has cracked down on free speech, Mada Masr has come under increased scrutiny by the state. The recent raid was prompted by an investigative article regarding the president’s son.
Masa Masr is one of the few remaining Egyptian news sites which covers the persecution of local Christians. The tightening of free speech and independent reporting within the journalistic world has had negative consequences for religious freedom. Many Christians feel as if they can no longer speak about the issues which impact them, without fear of retribution. Security controls nearly every sector of society, and many Christians have expressed fear that they do not want to say something which would give an excuse for further monitoring and surveillance.
Egypt has purported to have made positive changes towards religious freedom, but the free speech barriers create substantial difficulties when independently evaluating whether these supposed religious freedom changes are actually having a positive impact on society. The two human rights issues are increasingly becoming linked because of the way in which they impact each other. More of ICC’s reporting on this subject can be found in the article, Is All Truly Quiet in Egypt?
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