Sunday, October 26, 2014

This is how to fight freedom of expression not terrorism actually

After the horrifying terrorist attack in Sinai which resulted in th murder of not less than 30 army officers and soldiers Egyptian TV channels and newspapers decided to fight terrorism in its own way. First we found on Saturday that popular TV host Mahmoud Saad would no longer appear on Al-Nahar TV channel becaue the channel won't allow to those who spread rumors to spread on its screen according to a statement it issued on that same day. Saad , a pro-Jan25 TV host is considered a moderate critic of the regime right now compared to other TV hosts. Last week Mahmoud Saad criticized El-Sisi directly reminding him how he used to meet the 25 January revolution youth icons when those icons now are either in jail or abroad in self-exile or accused of treason in media.Last week Asmaa Mahfouz, the famous 25 January revolution icon was the latest revolution youth figure to be officially blacklisted after finding herself on the state's travel ban. Today after huge criticism to the channel online , Al-Nahar TV channel claimed that Saad's show had not been suspended but according to my sources it was suspended on Saturday. May be Al-Nahar TV channel got some warning from Mount Olympus, already Saad was the last criticising voice and is needed to create some pseudo-balance in the channel.


It is worth to mention that almost all the Pro-Jan25 TV hosts are longer on TV like Reem Magued and Yosri Fouda as well Bassem Youssef.
Earlier Today on Sunday at the once liberal Al-Wafd Party a group of editors in chief led by none other than Pro-Mubarak/Pro-Military journalist Mustafa Bakry announced that they supported the state in its war against terrorism. They won't the statements of terrorist organizations in their newspapers according to their announcement. Checking the list of names attending that meeting , one can see that they are all the Pro-regime journalists.

Of course I do not expect to find in those newspapers any article or in-depth report or op-ed discussing or heavens forbid criticzing the security and military strategy adopted in Sinai and its impact on the people there or its results.

Today A Cairo court has sentenced a group of 25 activists and protesters 3 years in jail and LE10,000 fine for breaking the protest law. That group of activists and protesters including Sana'a Seif and Yara Sallem was initially protesting against the protest law in last June. This group is the latest group of protesters to be imprisoned because of unconstitutional law the regime refuses to amend.

Thousands of protesters whether Islamists or non-Islamists, whether students or adults are imprisoned now because of that law.Ironically enough during the trial the court showed videos for the protests featuring the police's civilian thugs attacking the protesters and yet it didnot care to even question who these thugs were and what they were doing in the police's side.

There will be an appeal for the case but the activists will be detained till the appeal it is accept. By the way Sana'a Seif is on hunger strike for more than 50 days.

The Egyptian National Radio launched a campaign to support military court for civilians in order to fight terrorism.

Almost all TV talk shows are criticizing and attacking the 25 January revolution activists and supporters holding them responsible for the terrorist attack madly and crazily in the past 3 days in a disgusting way spreading lies, assumptions and accusations wihout any proof. I

look to the TV coverage in Egypt for the terrorist attack and compared it to the Canadian coverage to terrorist attack that happened earlier in Canada while feeling sad and angry at the same time.

Now TV hosts are saying that this is not the time to opposition let alone human rights as we are in war on terrorism. Well the way I see it , it is not a war on terrorism but rather a war on freedom of expression. Of course we are going to defeat terrorists by adopting the same old fashioned fascist nationalist policies that brought the defeat of 1967 because you know it is very successful !!!

 

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