Pakistan Press Freedom (PPF), in a letter to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, expressed concern over the arrest and detention of Al Jazeera journalists Mahmoud Hussein in Cairo on December 25.
PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali urged the government of Egypt to properly investigate the case and bring specific charges against the Al Jazeera journalist, failing which, he must be released immediately.
According to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Egyptian security forces arrested Mahmoud Hussein upon his return from Qatar last Tuesday and during a visit with his family in Egypt, adding that two of his brothers were also arrested. They were all then taken to unknown place.
The state security prosecution ruled to imprison Mahmoud Hussein for 15 days on charges of “disseminating false news and rumors about Egypt’s internal affairs and fabricating media reports,” ANHRI reported.
PPF urged the authorities in Egypt to review its record on press freedom and called on the President to ensure that the sanctity of press freedom remains intact.
