Egypt adds Reporters Without Borders to blocked websites list

Egypt has blocked access to the website of international media watchdog Reporters without Borders, as part of ongoing censorship measures in the North African state.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

19 August, 2017

The media watchdog described Egypt as "one of the world's biggest prisons for journalists" [AFP]

Authorities in Egypt blocked the site of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Paris-based group said on Thursday.

The move comes as part of ramped-up media crackdown in the North African state, that has recently seen online access to over 100 sites suspended.

Authorities have focused on sites regarded as critical of former army chief and now president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

But RSF said its website was blocked on Monday, shortly after it issued a statement condemning the ongoing detention of an Egyptian photojournalist.

The media watchdog described Egypt as "one of the world's biggest prisons for journalists".

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Sisi's government of stifling dissent.

"Egypt's government has moved from trying to censor any criticism to trying to censor any criticism of that censorship," CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said.

"Blocking access to the websites of RSF […] is an outrage and should be immediately reversed."

Last year, Egypt blocked access to The New Arab site, and its Arabic sister site al-Araby al-Jadeed. The move came soon after the UAE and Saudi Arabia took similar measures, banning online access to the news site.