Egyptian broadcaster grilled over el-Sisi remarks
Egyptian broadcaster Azza al-Hanawi is in hot water after comparing president to Adolf Hitler; council to discuss her comments being formed, with some urging her to seek psychological help.
During her program, Cairo News, al-Hanawi criticized the president in an unprecedented manner when covering one of his latest speeches.
"We have witnessed a speech by Hitler," she said during an interview with Osama Shahata, who is linked to the el-Sisi administration. "This a declaration of a dictatorship in the country," she said. To emphasize her point, she even satirically made a Nazi hand gesture when speaking to Shahata.
In the speech in question, the president offered to "sell himself" in order to help the country financially. In response, opposition members offered to sell him on eBay.
In the same speech, el-Sisi also requested that all Egyptian citizens work to improve the economic situation in Egypt, and even demanded that they only listen to him and no one else.
"You tell people to work and you don't do anything," the controversial broadcaster retorted, and claimed that since his rise to power, el-Sisi hasn't solved a single problem. The interviewee responded in kind and told the broadcaster regarding her strong allegations that "you are speaking about your president as if he isn't you're president. We are a nation that finds itself in a difficult situation."
"As the president requests the nation to work, he must also work," al-Hanawi responded. Throughout the program, she spoke about rampant corruption, alleging that it is worse than terror; issues in the prison system; and the war on human rights workers in the country.
Her strong remarks, spoken on a state-affiliated channel, caused an uproar on Egyptian social media pages and other media outlets, especially in the Egyptian Broadcasting Authority, known by the nickname "the explainers."
Issam al-Amir, chairman of the official radio and television union, announced following the remarks the creation of a council of several media personalities who work at the official television stations to decide what should be done regarding al-Hanawi's behavior.
Doctor Hani Jaafar, head of public Egyptian TV's regional channels, believes a new appoach should be taken towards the broadcaster, who was suspended last November after criticizing el-Sisi.
"I didn’t take any steps against her to prevent her from presenting her views," he said. "The rest of the satellite stations can broadcast her, so that she can talk about her fake heroism. I will let the Egyptian public judge her so that they can decide for themselves." Others were harsher, and called on her to "go to a psychologist."
Hamdi al-Kanisi, a member of the council formed to judge al-Hannawi's statements, said that she is a sick person who "needs treatment."
A lawsuit has already been filed at the state prosecutor against the broadcaster for insulting the president and inciting against the government. The request calls for an official investigation. In November, she was dropped from the air after criticizing el-Sisi over the poor handling of floods in the country.
Only this week, el-Sisi, in a rare telephone interview to a radio show, promised to do everything he promised by the time his term is over.
