Opinions are dangerous as Egypt cracks down on dissent

Tim Burrowes

June 23, 2014 8:58

In this post which first appeared on The Conversation in March, Emad Shahi, professor at the American University in Cairo, sets out the press freedom issues which have seen the Australian journalist Peter Greste jailed in Egypt

As I write this, 20 journalists – including several al-Jazeera reporters – are on trial in Cairo on charges of spreading disinformation and abetting terrorists. Their alleged crime includes operating without proper accreditation and conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood, now a proscribed organisation, to tarnish Egypt’s international reputation. Some of them have been locked up for more than six weeks.

This episode highlights a dangerous state of affairs in Egypt, which is going through an unprecedented period of suppression of fundamental civil rights and a severe stifling of freedom of expression and press.

Following the military coup of 3 July, the new regime has shown little tolerance for dissent or peaceful protest. The massive crackdown against the supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi expanded to include many voices that oppose military rule.

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.