Watchdog: Journalists face 'unprecedented' threats in Egypt
ournalists face unprecedented threats in President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's Egypt, a watchdog group said Thursday, with the highest number behind bars since it began keeping records in 1990.
In a report detailing the incarceration of 18 Egyptians, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said most were accused of affiliation with the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
It said the threat of imprisonment in Egypt is part of a stifling atmosphere in which authorities pressure media outlets to censor critical voices and issue gag orders on sensitive topics. It said el-Sissi has invoked national security to trample on liberties.
