Egypt Creates President-appointed Media Czar

A new law passed by the Egyptian parliament on Monday will allow President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sissi, already under strong criticism for his less-than-stellar reputation for curtailing civil rights and press freedoms, to control the nation’s media. Under terms of the law, Al-Sissi will have the power to appoint a media czar and his council which will be imbued with the ability to levy fines on publications and journalists, fine or suspend publications and broadcasters altogether, and issue and/or revoke licenses that allow foreign correspondents to work in Egypt. The new Supreme Council for the Press and Media is a significant step backwards for Al-Sissi and Egypt, which ranked as the country that jailed the second greatest number of journalists in 2015 according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Ironically, the official description of the new department lists its goals as insuring competition between media outlets and promote adherence to journalistic ethics. Its mandate to ensure that national security is not compromised set off alarms among critics who note Al-Sissi’s poor record on human rights. A second law is being drafted that will address the relationship between media and security interests, freedom of information and confidentiality of sourcing. The Reuters news agency reported that the Egyptian government claims that all of the journalists it has incarcerated were guilty of crimes unrelated to their journalistic work.