39 Final Country Report

Censorship in Egypt:

Undermining Freedom of the Press in the Modern Political Landscape

Amani Samuels

Introducing the current administration’s war against press freedoms

In recent history, Egypt has been a vanguard of economic and developmental progress in Africa. From meeting the growing demands of globalization to rising to the occasion in addressing global climate change initiatives, this nation has displayed excellence in many sectors. Despite these successes, Egypt is ranked as 166 out of 180 countries for its critical status of press freedom in the World Press Freedom Index (RSF). As one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists, Egypt has demonstrated its extreme censorship practices to be a severe threat to freedom of speech and access to information for its citizens. This report will analyze, contextualize, and highlight the current status of censorship in Egypt over the past decade, and postulate the future of human rights in this regard within Egypt in the future.

These human rights violations directly threaten the freedom of speech not only for all Egyptian journalists and activists, but also its entire population. Beginning in 2017, over 500 websites have been blocked in Egypt, including various news sources that the government determines to be a threat given its arbitrary restrictions. These restrictions not only cause the direct shutdown of several sites, but also the indirect shutdown of additional sites which are not able to withstand the cut-off from revenue as a result of governmental barriers to circulation. Egyptian censorship practices were further cemented in the wake of the presidential election in 2018, with more media sites being shut down at an increasingly rapid pace.

Shedding light on Egypt’s restrictions to freedom of the press

The news story that I have selected to represent the current censorship crisis in Egypt is regarding the incarceration, trial, and charges against humanitarian activist Sanaa Seif. Seif is one of a slew of journalists both domestic and international who have been persecuted and criminalized in Egypt as a result of the unjust censorship laws that are currently upheld in the Egyptian government. Seif was sentenced on March 17th, 2021, by the Criminal Court of Cairo on charges of ‘the misuse of social media’ and spreading inaccurate rumors regarding the spread of COVID-19. The human rights journalist has spent her career advocating for the release of incarcerated political and human rights defenders since the age of 17 and was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment as a result of her activism. She was arrested in late June of 2020, and not released until December 23rd, 2021.

Sanaa Seif’s imprisonment is not a stand-alone event, but rather an addition to a large number of activists and political defenders in Egypt who have been incarcerated as a result of extreme censorship in the nation. One of the aforementioned political prisoners is Seif’s own brother, Alaa Abdel Fattah, who was convicted of charges over ‘spreading false news’ across his social media accounts along with human rights lawyer, Mohamed Baker. Despite all three of these activists having peacefully demonstrated their rights as Egyptian citizens, they have faced criminal charges and sentences in governmental attempts to silence their critiques of the status-quo.

The arbitrary detainment of Alaa Abdel Fattah and Mohamed Baker in 2019 was a clear signal of the government making an example of journalists who speak out against the administration in any way. Both men remain incarcerated to this day, with at least 25 journalists being unjustly detained as of December 2021. Human rights organizations around the world such as Reporters Without Borders have been calling for institutional change and accountability regarding jailing’s and indictments similar to these.

Most recently, the Egyptian parliament has put forth a proposal to ban journalists from discussing religion in the media. This proposal came in 2022 after the prosecution of a journalist who is being accused of “contempt of religion” after sharing divisive opinions on a specific Islamic religious practice. The journalist in question is named Ibrahim Issa, who has been incarcerated since. The proposed law has garnered significant approval from government officials, many deeming instances such as Issa’s statements to be a “chaos in society” (Middle East Monitor, 2022). This news also alludes to continued cracking down on the press and new ways in which the Egyptian government seeks to enact it.

Contextual information

History

Egypt’s recent history can be described as tumultuous and complex, and the censorship of the press is a clear externality of the social and political conditions that the nation has undergone in the last decade. In 2011, during the Arab Spring, former President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by President Mohamed Morsi. Both former presidents were criticized by activists and journalists for their lack of democratic leadership and direct threat to the human rights of Egyptians. The growing dissent and human rights concerns in Egypt during the time is mirrored by the current administration, where, despite claims of goals for strengthening the democracy and improving the well-being of its citizens, has wholly failed at building an open, democratic Egypt despite progress in other areas.

Government

In July 2013, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi deposed former president Mohamed Morsi. Despite framing himself as a national hero, el-Sisi’s tenure as president since 2014 has displayed an autocratic governorship that directly threatens the freedoms and humanitarian concerns of Egypt’s citizens, including journalists. Media freedoms have declined dramatically in the wake of el-Sisi taking control of the government. State repression under the current administration has grown increasingly severe as el-Sisi deems any dissent as a threat to his unilateral power over the country and its government. There are estimated tens of thousands of human rights defenders being kept as political prisoners in Egypt (Mansour, 2021). Under el-Sisi’s leadership, Egypt has fallen back into a precarious democratic status.

Morsi was a member of the Islamist Brotherhood, which has been deemed a terrorist organization by the current administration. Morsi himself was sentenced to death in 2016 (NBC, 2016). Along with his sentencing, two Al-Jazeera employees, Ibrahim Mohammed Hilal and Alaa Omar Mohammed after The Brotherhood was declared as a terrorist organization. There were 11 defendants in the trial, who were all sentenced ranging from 15 years in prison to death sentences. Al Jazeera publicly condemned these sentences, calling for the international community to act in solidarity with what they called “ludicrous charges,” (Al Jazeera, 2016). Regardless of the political ideations of The Brotherhood and the affiliated journalists during this trial, this verdict presented itself as the public beginning of el-Sisi’s censorship of the press.

In 2015, the Egyptian government over three dozen journalists with the aim of increasing the crackdown on press freedom in the nation (Amnesty, 2020). This was enacted under a counterterrorism law which included dissent into the broader definition of terrorism. The “misuse of social media” as well as “spreading false news” were criminalized under this law and decidedly positioned journalists as a threat to national security and the wellbeing of the nation. These stringent measures have led to journalists who simply attempt to do their job being jailed if the government deems their work to fall into these categories.

The securitization of media freedoms as a terror threat also has extenuating concerns. This magnification of an essentially harmless act as a threat to the state of the nation has a detrimental impact on both the limits of the global understanding of terrorism and the deliberative process within Egypt.

Punitive and legislative escalations against media freedoms have continuously grown in the past few years. The government has imposed an “intricate and complex web of bureaucratic measures, laws and regulations whose primary function is to impede independent, critical reporting and entrench the state’s censorship over content to ultimately establish control over narrative” (Fahmy, 2019). There has been no concrete definition of “false news” from the government, which has led to murky and concerning prosecution of a large number of members of the press in the past decade. These vaguely defined standards have increasingly allowed the Egyptian government leeway in its silencing of journalists and humanitarian activists who publicly voice dissent.

COVID-19

            In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, media censorship has become an even more pressing concern in Egypt. Journalists that attempted to shed light on the true statistics and circulate information about the pandemic were arrested and sentenced (Bowen, 2021), along others such as Sanaa Seif. The government has seen any form of criticism of their handling of the pandemic along with spreading information as dissent and this a direct threat to the nation. The impact of this pandemic has effectively exacerbated the fight against censorship of the media in the past few years.

Education

Egypt also faces a critical lack of infrastructure and success in educating its population. A majority of Egyptian students fail to meet the low benchmark in international learning assessments (UNICEF, 2022). This lack of education poses a huge challenge for the long-term status of the nation, with these students being prevented from potentially contributing to society and the state in the future. As of 2017, the Egyptian literacy rate was 71.17% which was a decline from the rate in 2013, which was note ably the year that el-Sisi took power.  Both the literacy rate and failure of the education system are aspects of concern that will only be further harmed with barriers to freedom of speech and the media.

Economy

            According to the African Development Bank Group, Egypt was one of the few nations to have fiscal growth in 2020 despite the Coronavirus pandemic. Economic reform in the country has been a primary initiative since 2016. The economy has seen strong and consistent growth since the reform took place. This growth has been owed much to the nation’s global economic integration, with tourism and exports being the primary sectors of Egypt’s thriving economy (AFDB, 2021). With Egypt’s significant economic progress on a global level, el-Sisi has been able to leverage strong relationships with other global actors such as France, despite the human rights concerns that are also ongoing in the country.

The anticipated future of media censorship in Egypt

            Looking to the future of censorship of the press in Egypt shows an unlikely structural shift in the short term. El-Sisi’s administration remains unchallenged in its unilateral authoritarian leadership, and those who express dissent are increasingly being penalized for speaking out against the government in any way. The parliament additionally continues to add new legislation that punishes media and civilians for exercising their right to free speech both through the press and social media. With the murky legal definitions and justifications for these legislative actions, many are calling for the re-institution of the Ministry of Information in Egypt which has been absent for a significant period of time (Fahmy, 2019). From the structural and legislative perspective, more checks and balances must be enacted in order to remedy the overwhelming power of the administration.

Tensions and upset among the Egyptian populous still exist, despite the government’s attempts to quell them through censorship. Similar to the Arab Spring in Egypt over 10 years ago, youth and progressives in the country are calling for a true democratically run government. Along with organizations and activists who are calling for governmental reform, the younger populations have power to shape the future of the country through collective organizing and social movements.

Conclusion

            In closing, media censorship in Egypt is at a critical point due to past and present factors that have led to a precarious state for journalists within the country. Both now and in the foreseeable future, journalists such as Sanaa Seif have been persecuted and incarcerated on the unfounded basis of national security. Although Egypt has been making huge progressive moves in the global community, this concern is not one to be ignored. President el-Sisi’s Administration has taken stringent measures to maintain its power and influence over the population, which have directly violated a universal human right to the freedom of the press. Despite the future status of media censorship being unclear, the efforts of activists, journalists, and the global community remains present and offers hope for freer censorship regulations in the long term.

References

“2020 World Press Freedom Index: Reporters without Borders.” RSF, 2022, https://rsf.org/en/ranking#.

Al Jazeera. “Egypt Urged to End ‘Relentless’ Attacks on Journalists.” Media News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 3 May 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/3/journalism-has-become-a-crime-in-egypt-amnesty-international.

The Associated Press. “Egyptian Court Sentences 2 Al-Jazeera Employees to Death.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 18 June 2016, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/egyptian-court-sentences-2-al-jazeera-employees-death-n595001.

Bowen, Jeremy. “Arab Spring: How the Uprisings Still Echo, 10 Years On.” BBC News, BBC, 12 Feb. 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56000950.

“Education.” UNICEF Egypt, 2022, https://www.unicef.org/egypt/education.

“Egypt Tightens Censorship and Proposes New Law to Stop Journalists Discussing Religion.” Middle East Monitor, 22 Feb. 2022, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220222-egypt-tightens-censorship-and-proposes-new-law-to-stop-journalists-discussing-religion/.

“Egypt: Freedom on the Net 2021 Country Report.” Freedom House, 2022, https://freedomhouse.org/country/egypt/freedom-net/2021.

Fahmy, Nourhan. “How the Egyptian State Codifies Media Censorship.” TIMEP, 9 Dec. 2019, https://timep.org/commentary/analysis/how-the-egyptian-state-codifies-media-censorship/.

Mansour, Abdelrahman. “Sisi’s Last Stand.” Foreign Policy, 27 Jan. 2021, https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/27/egypt-sisi-human-rights-protests-detention-terrorism-biden-trump/.

Masr, Mada. “CPJ: With 25 Journalists Detained, Egypt 3rd Worst Jailor of Media Workers Globally.” Mada Masr, 9 Dec. 2021, https://www.madamasr.com/en/2021/12/09/news/u/cpj-with-25-journalists-detained-egypt-3rd-worst-jailor-of-media-workers-globally/.