Hypocrisy without borders: how Turkey and Egypt detain journalists and attack each other for doing so
Credit: (Ahval News/Google Images)
Written by: Mariam Nouser
Turkey and Egypt are amongst the worst offenders when it comes to press freedom according to Reporters Without Borders.
Both nations have had poor records of press freedom in recent years. According to the 2019 World Press Freedom Index, Egypt stands at 163rd place while Turkey is at 157th.
Hundreds of reporters have been detained because of their criticism against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a human rights official from Egypt.
Egypt and Turkey target journalists
However, this is also happening in Egypt. On Tuesday afternoon, police raided the Cairo office of Anadolu Agency and detained four employees.
According to Egypt Today, Mohamed Osman, the head of the human rights unit in the State Information Service, said that Turkish prisons are full of journalists and people of opinion. For over six years, at least 200 media outlets were shut down in Turkey because of their anti-government coverage.
Egypt has accused the Turkish state-run agency of spewing extreme ideologies. They have also accused Turkey of funding media outlets that schemed for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
What sparked the increased rate of detained journalists?
In July 2016, a coup d’etat failed against Turkish president Erdogan which sparked his crackdown on journalists who reported against him.
As reported by Amnesty International, journalists like Nazlı Ilıcak, 76, have described the condition of their detainment as “living in a tomb.”
Similar to Turkey, Egypt’s crackdown on journalists was sparked by a coup, this time a successful one against former president Mohamed Morsi in Aug. 2013. His successor, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, secured his second term in 2018 and since then, journalists who are suspected of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and the late, former president Mohamed Morsi, have been detained.
According to Reporters without Borders, Egypt has also censored foreign media outlets and has blocked Egyptians from viewing articles that are seemingly against the regime. In addition, reporters are reportedly being expelled or banned from entering Egypt.
What happens to journalists in jail?
Egypt is notorious for jailing civilians and journalists without charge for extended periods of time.
Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein has been detained in Egypt since late 2016 without charge. Hussein was travelling to Cairo to visit his family when he was detained upon arrival. In May 2019, an Egyptian court rejected a state prosecutor’s request to release the Qatar-based journalist. A new case was opened and Hussein was sent back to jail.
More Articles