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Amnesty reports chilling details of Egypt press crackdown

Egypt Press Freedom
Posted at 6:47 AM, May 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-03 06:47:42-04

CAIRO (AP) — Amnesty International says that journalism in Egypt has effectively become a crime over the past four years, as authorities clamp down on media outlets and muzzle dissent.

The London-based rights group said in a report released Sunday that as the number of coronavirus infections in Egypt continues to rise, the government is strengthening its control over information, instead of upholding transparency during the health crisis.

Amnesty documented 37 cases of journalists detained in the government's escalating crackdown on press freedoms, many charged with "spreading false news" or "misusing social media" under a broad 2015 counterterrorism law.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has overseen an unprecedented political crackdown, silencing critics and jailing thousands.