Journalist Sayed Saber’s arrest is believed to have been triggered by his social media posts on the Egyptian military rule. [Facebook]
An Egyptian state prosecutor ordered the detention of journalist Sayed Saber for 15 days last week, reportedly for his social media criticism of military rule, heightening concerns over restrictions on free expression in the Arab World’s most populous country
Security forces detained Saber late on Tuesday, 26 November, and took him to an undisclosed location before he appeared hours later on early Wednesday at a state security prosecution’s office in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, according to local rights groups and his colleagues.
The charges against Saber remain unclear until the publication time amid conflicting reports. But his arrest is believed to have been reportedly triggered by recent social media posts in which he had criticised what he described as the “fascism of the military rule.”
Saber has been an outspoken critic of the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s controversial policies over the years, whether through his work as a journalist or his social media posts.
He is also a published author of literary works known for adopting a sarcastic writing style, and an active member of the Al-Karama Party, which embraces the Arab nationalist and socialist political ideology of late 20th-century President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Saber’s most recent book, a short story collection entitled Marzraet El-Makarouna (The Pasta Farm), has been well-received by critics and readers alike. The book creatively documents the country’s social and economic variables over the past decades through the eyes of his characters.
Saber’s arrest has brought the total number of journalists currently behind bars to 24, 15 of whom are detained without having the chance to stand a fair trial for up to five years, according to sources inside the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate.Â
Local and international human rights groups and free press advocates have repeatedly accused Egyptian authorities of filing trumped-up charges against journalists and regime critics before the 24-month legal limit of pre-trial detention is over. By doing so, detainees remain “illegally” incarcerated for several years without a verdict.
Sisi has run the country with an iron fist since seizing power in a 2013 military coup while he was Minister of Defence. Media freedom and civil rights have sharply deteriorated since then.Â
In 2023, Egypt has been ranked among the world’s worst jailers of journalists, tied with Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and marked at number 170 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index.
Over the past decade marking Sisi’s rule, Egypt has blocked over 500 local and international websites and news outlets, including The New Arab and its Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
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