Det egyptiske militær, der leder landet efter den folkelige opstand tvang den mangeårige præsident Hosni Mubarak fra posten, kræver nu at lokale medier skal søge tilladelse til at omtale militæret. Det er det største tilbageskridt for pressefriheden siden Mubaraks fald i februar, lyder det fra pressefrihedsorganisationen Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Organisationen skriver blandt andet:
The director of the Morale Affairs Directorate of the Egyptian military, Maj. Gen. Ismail Mohamed Othman, sent a letter dated March 22 to editors of Egyptian publications demanding that they do not “publish any (topics, news, statements, complaints, advertisements, pictures) pertaining to the Armed Forces or to commanders of the Armed Forces without first consulting with the Morale Affairs Directorate and the Directorate of Military Intelligence and Information Gathering, as they are the authorities specialized in reviewing such issues, [in an effort to] ensure the security and safety of the homeland.” CPJ has received a photocopy of the letter, and Human Rights Watch reviewed it and confirmed its authenticity.
Human Rights Watch first reported the existence of the memo on Monday. Several journalistic blogs have since picked up the story, in some instances posting a copy of the directive. A CPJ source confirmed the authenticity of the memo.
CPJ has not been able to find any reporting about the letter in traditional news media in Egypt, an indication of the new rule’s effectiveness.
