“Save Freedom of Opinion” publishes a report on violations in the press and media during 2024

Journalists’ Syndicate Welcomes the Release of Five Detainees in 2024 and Calls for More

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During the concluding year of 2024, security authorities have continued their campaigns against journalists and media professionals by resuming arrests targeting writers and journalists. Additionally, numerous restrictive measures were imposed on media content, programs, and even suspension and shutdown orders.

In 2024, alongside the renewed wave of arrests, more than 23 journalists remain in pretrial detention, with some surpassing the legal detention period without either release or referral to trial to determine their fate. This situation reflects a persistent pattern of violence and targeting against journalism and journalists.

The “Save Freedom of Expression” campaign has sought to highlight the hardships faced by journalists, media professionals, and opinion writers, calling for public solidarity with their just demands for the release of detainees and an end to the targeting and restriction of media freedom.

Egypt ranked 170th in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders, which annually assesses press freedom in 180 countries and territories. This represents a decline compared to the previous year when Egypt ranked 166th.

The number of detained journalists, both unionized and non-unionized, has exceeded 23 during the recent period, with around 15 journalists having been held in pretrial detention for more than two years. This was highlighted following a discussion session and a conference organized by the Journalists’ Syndicate’s Freedoms Committee for the families of detained journalists on November 19, 2024.

 

Harassment and Security Prosecution

As 2024 ended, journalist Rasha Azab announced an open-ended sit-in at the Journalists’ Syndicate on December 16, 2024, to protest the restrictions imposed on her since October 7, 2023. According to her statement, she has been threatened with arrest by security agencies, with these threats even extending to phone calls.

In response, the “Save Freedom of Expression” campaign at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms expressed full solidarity with journalist Rasha Azab and her demands for an end to the practices and violations she faces, as well as the ongoing security harassment, which prompted her to begin her sit-in at the syndicate until her demands are met.

The campaign condemned the practices and harassment targeting Rasha Azab, considering them attempts at intimidation and threats that would inevitably affect her professional and personal life, as well as her mental well-being. She announced her sit-in after exhausting all legal avenues to no avail, describing the actions of the Ministry of Interior and the National Security Agency as “gang-like practices.”

Furthermore, Khaled El Balshy, the head of the Journalists’ Syndicate, filed a report to the Central Cairo Prosecution on December 26, 2024, on behalf of Rasha Azab and her legal team. The report called for an investigation into the theft of her car, the review of surveillance cameras in the area of the incident, and other demands related to the violations she has recently faced.

Repeated Arrests

The harassment and security pursuits were not limited to Rasha Azab. Writer Yehia Hussein Abdel Hady was also arrested by security forces on July 31, 2024, while he was on his way to attend a seminar at the headquarters of the under-establishment “Hope Current Party.”

Hours after his arrest, he appeared late at the State Security Prosecution, where he was interrogated in case no. 3916 of 2024. During his arrest, he reportedly experienced symptoms of angina. He was confronted with an article titled “Until When Will the Army Remain Silent?” and was subsequently transferred to the 10th of Ramadan Prison 4. The prosecution allowed him to receive his medication.

The interrogation concluded in the early hours of August 2024, and the prosecution issued an order for his detention. He was charged with joining a terrorist group, misusing social media, spreading false news, committing a crime of financing terrorism, and inciting the commission of a terrorist act. His detention continues to be renewed.

This was not the first time Abdel Hady was arrested. He had previously been detained and received a presidential pardon in early June 2022. The pardon was granted while he was imprisoned in connection with case no. 558 of 2021, Nasr City Second Misdemeanor Court, where he was sentenced to four years in prison.

 

Raids and Confiscations

In addition to security restrictions, there were also raids and confiscations of publishing houses. On July 27, 2024, security forces raided “Al-Maraya for Culture and Arts,” searching the premises for nearly five hours. Before leaving, the Copyright Police confiscated 217 books, two computers, and four boxes of financial documents belonging to the publishing house. The Tax Evasion Police also seized these documents. The administrative assistant was arrested at that time but was later released pending investigation in case no. 5142 of 2024, Abdeen Misdemeanor Court.

This was not the first incident involving Al-Maraya for Culture and Arts. Previously, the publishing house faced attacks over the latest book by political activist and poet Ahmed Douma, titled the “Curly” collection. The book was met with backlash, confiscation, and the prevention of a signing event.

On July 19, 2023, Al-Maraya Cultural Production postponed a launch and discussion session for the “Curly” poetry collection. In a statement, the publishing house explained: “Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond everyone’s control, the session for the launch of the ‘Curly’ collection by poet Ahmed Douma has been postponed. A new date will be announced later.”

It is worth noting that Ahmed Douma wrote the poems of the “Curly” collection while in detention. The poems were smuggled out over several years and published in 2021. However, the book was confiscated from the publisher’s booth at the Cairo International Book Fair and has since been banned from publication and distribution.

Disappearance and Detention

Throughout 2024, security forces continued to pursue and detain journalists. On July 22, 2024, Ashraf Omar, a cartoonist and translator for the news website “Al-Manassa,” was arrested after security forces raided his home in Hadayek October at dawn.

Plainclothes security officers took Ashraf to an undisclosed location after spending about 40 minutes inside his home. According to his wife, Nada Moghith, the security forces, dressed in civilian clothes, stormed their residence around 1:30 a.m., arresting Ashraf and taking his computer and mobile phone.

Nada stated that she was not present during the arrest, but security camera footage from a nearby building showed two microbuses arriving, with Ashraf leaving the building blindfolded. He appeared before the prosecution 48 hours after his disappearance, in connection with case no. 1968 of 2024, State Security Prosecution. He faced the usual charges: spreading false news and joining a terrorist group.

Following his appearance, Ashraf’s family revealed that he had been tortured and electrocuted during and after his arrest. His lawyer filed complaints regarding the torture and requested that Ashraf be heard as a victim in the case.

Similarly, journalist Khaled Mamdouh disappeared after his arrest and reappeared six days later before the prosecution. He was detained in case no. 1282 of 2024, facing the same charges as Ashraf Omar, despite the different case details.

Continuing the wave of journalist arrests, security forces detained writer and journalist Sayed Saber on November 26, 2024. He was presented to the State Security Prosecution, which ordered his 15-day detention pending investigation for spreading false news, likely due to posts on his social media account.

 

Exceeding Legal Detention Periods

In addition to ongoing detentions, several journalists remain in pretrial detention beyond the legal limits. Among them is 68-year-old journalist Tawfiq Ghanem, who was arrested on May 21, 2021. He appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution five days later, in case no. 238 of 2021, State Security Prosecution.

Ghanem suffers from an enlarged prostate, bone problems, a history of surgeries, and diabetes, requiring special medical care.

Another case is that of journalist Hamdy El-Zaim, who remains detained in case no. 955 of 2020. He faces charges of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its goals, spreading false news and information, and using an online account to disseminate false news. His detention has been renewed repeatedly, despite his nearly four-year incarceration.

Hamdy suffers from diabetes and multiple spinal disc herniations, conditions he reported during prosecution interrogations.

Hamdy was arrested on January 5, 2021, when security forces raided his home, confiscated his belongings, and took him to an undisclosed location. He was not presented to any investigative body until 11 days later, during which neither his family nor his lawyer were informed of his whereabouts or the reasons for his arrest, in violation of the constitution.

His family continues to appeal to relevant authorities and the Presidential Pardon Committee for his release, emphasizing the long time he has spent in pretrial detention and precautionary measures.

Attack on the Syndicate Over Criminal Procedures

In an attempt to attack the Journalists’ Syndicate due to its stance on the new Criminal Procedures Law, the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives issued a statement targeting the Syndicate’s head, journalist Khaled El-Balshy, following his comments about the draft law and the Syndicate’s rejection of its provisions, calling for the law to be withdrawn.

During a press conference held at the Syndicate’s headquarters on September 11, 2024, El-Balshy reiterated the Syndicate’s rejection of the draft law, stating, “The Criminal Procedures Law is the constitution of the justice system. It is a product of humanity, not just of a particular country. Therefore, any amendments must undergo serious discussions based on a clear philosophy, requiring diverse perspectives. Any imbalance could undermine trust in the justice system or disrupt social norms. Amendments are usually made in a narrow scope and for specific articles due to societal needs.”

He called for the withdrawal of the draft law and a comprehensive review of all its articles, warning that the law poses a danger to society and citizens. He also argued that it contradicts the constitution and international agreements signed by Egypt, perpetuating a general situation that society has been trying to move away from.

In response, the Legislative Committee issued a statement accusing El-Balshy’s speech of being inaccurate and based on blatant falsehoods. The committee stated, “Freedom of opinion does not mean distorting facts under the guise of freedom of expression. The committee will not stand idly by in the face of malicious allegations aimed at confusing public opinion and undermining trust in state institutions, even if they come from individuals hiding behind the banner of freedom of opinion.”

The committee further described El-Balshy’s remarks as “an attempt to mislead public opinion by portraying the parliament as working against the interests of citizens.”

The “Save Freedom of Opinion” campaign viewed the attack at the time as a new episode in a series of intimidation, harassment, and accusations of treason against dissenters, even when the opinion comes from the head of the Journalists’ Syndicate, which represents the “fortress of freedoms” in Egypt, defending press freedoms, the right to publication, and information transparency.

In a move to intimidate independent journalism, the Cairo Appeals Prosecution summoned journalist Lina Attalah for questioning on February 20, 2024. She was released on bail of 5,000 EGP in case no. 22 of 2023, facing charges of spreading false news and operating a website without a license, despite submitting licensing documents to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation in October 2018 and again in August 2020.

Release of Journalists

The year 2024 also witnessed the release of five journalists after varying periods of detention.

The first release decision, issued on February 11, 2024, included the release of three female journalists: Safaa Al-Korbagy and Hala Fahmy, who were arrested on April 22, 2022, and remained in pretrial detention until their release. The third journalist, Manal Ajrama, was arrested in November 2022.

The second release decision came on March 22, 2024, which ordered the release of Al Jazeera journalists Rabie Al-Sheikh and Bahaa Ibrahim, following varying periods of detention.

While the Journalists’ Syndicate welcomed these release decisions at the time, it also called for further releases to permanently close the file on detained journalists.

 

supreme council for media regulation

Alongside ongoing security crackdowns on media professionals, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) issued several restrictive decisions in 2024, including summons, investigations, content bans, shutdowns, and barring individuals from appearing on air.

On June 11, 2024, the SCMR summoned the legal representative of Amazon Egypt, citing the platform Prime Video for broadcasting content deemed inconsistent with the religious values of Egyptian and Arab societies.
Many viewed this action as a clear interference in media content beyond the council’s mandate, arguing that the council should safeguard freedom of expression instead.

On August 30, 2024, the SCMR announced that it would take legal action against several Egyptian websites and pages for publishing “misleading and false news” about the Taba incident, allegedly sourced from “biased Israeli sources” without verification. Egyptian authorities had already denied the reported information.

Toward the end of the year, the SCMR introduced new regulations governing the broadcast of religious programs on all TV channels and radio stations, effective January 11, 2025.
Key decisions included:

• Limiting religious program durations to 30 minutes on general channels and 45 minutes on specialized religious channels.
• Exempting prominent religious figures such as the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the Pope of Alexandria, the Minister of Endowments, and the Mufti of Egypt from these time limits.
• Banning live call-ins from viewers during religious programs. Instead, questions must be pre-screened by the program’s team, including a religious expert, before airing.
• Prohibiting all forms of advertisements during religious programs.

The SCMR also imposed similar regulations on sports programs, limiting talk shows to 90 minutes and setting a maximum duration of one hour for pre- and post-match analysis. The council banned referee performance analysis segments across all media platforms, including TV, radio, websites, and digital applications.

On December 15, 2024, the SCMR summoned the legal representatives of Al-Nahar TV, Shorouk News website, and Cairo 24 for clarifications and document submissions regarding violations of the council’s media codes and regulations.
The summons did not specify which reports, programs, or content had violated the regulations.

Despite reiterating its commitment to freedom of expression, the SCMR rejected an appeal filed by Mahmoud El-Mamlouk, the legal representative of Cairo 24, against a 250,000 EGP fine imposed for violating public order and morals.

Opening the Public Sphere

The “Save Freedom of Opinion” campaign, organized by the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, condemns the ongoing arrests of journalists and media professionals. The campaign notes that authorities persist in silencing dissenting voices and suppressing free journalism.

With the arrival of the new year, 2025, the campaign called for opening spaces for diverse opinions and expanding freedoms, emphasizing the importance of protecting journalists and holding perpetrators accountable for crimes against them.

The campaign stressed the necessity of creating a favorable environment for freedom of opinion, preventing restrictions on dissenting voices and journalists, and ensuring their complete protection in accordance with the constitution and the law. The campaign advocates listening to their views and ensuring their safety, as they have committed no crime.