On World Press Freedom Day, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) has released a report documenting the state of journalism and media over the past year.
According to Article 70 of the Egyptian Constitution, which affirms press freedom:
“Freedom of press, printing, and publishing in print, audio, visual, and electronic forms is guaranteed. Egyptians, whether natural or legal persons, public or private, have the right to own and issue newspapers and establish media outlets. Newspapers are issued upon notification, as regulated by law.”
Between the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025, numerous violations of press and media freedom were recorded, including the imprisonment of journalists, writers, and opinion makers. Other forms of repression included raids on publishing houses, the banning of book releases, and decisions to block websites.
Egypt ranked 170th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders — a decline from the previous year’s rank of 166.
Website Blocking
Website blocking remains a persistent threat to journalists. The latest example is Zawya Talta (Third Angle), which was blocked on February 20, 2025. According to the site’s administration, users had reported access difficulties, and it was later confirmed the site was deliberately blocked by an unidentified authority.
Website blocking in Egypt began in 2017 and has since escalated to over 600 sites, including independent media and human rights organizations. Many sites have filed complaints with the Supreme Council for Media Regulation or pursued legal action.
Ongoing Detentions
Despite continuous website blocking, over 23 journalists — both unionized and non-unionized — remain in pretrial detention, some for more than two years. Among them is Yehia El-Sayed Othman, Deputy IT Director at Akhbar Al-Youm, arrested on November 1, 2022, and charged with spreading false news and joining a terrorist group (Case No. 1893/2022).
Another journalist, Khaled Mamdouh, was arrested from his home in Cairo on July 16, 2024 (Case No. 1282/2024), also accused of spreading false news and joining a terrorist group. His family was unaware of his whereabouts for a day and sent a telegram to the Ministry of Justice.
Khaled Mamdouh, a sports journalist, worked for MBC for 19 years and hosted programs on Egyptian Radio. On October 8, 2024, he complained during a detention renewal session about poor prison conditions and lack of drinking water, questioning his prolonged detention despite no formal charges.
Deteriorating Health Conditions
At the end of April, journalists called for the release of writer and journalist Sayed Saber due to deteriorating health. On April 27, 2025, friends and colleagues reported his urgent need for medical care. He had been transferred to Badr Prison Medical Center for cardiac stent surgery, which worsened his condition.
Saber was arrested on November 26, 2024, and charged in Case No. 6499/2024 with spreading false news and joining a terrorist group. Observers believe the arrest was linked to his Facebook posts criticizing recent political developments.
Medical Negligence
Many detained journalists are elderly or in poor health, needing regular medical care. Journalist Mohamed Saad Khattab, 72, suffers from coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and has undergone several surgeries. He was arrested on August 19, 2023 (Case No. 2063/2023) and reportedly abused at the National Security headquarters.
Khattab, who retired from journalism seven years ago, previously worked with Al-Wafd, Al-Dostour, Rose al-Yusuf, and Al-Ummah newspapers.
Also in detention is journalist Hamdy El-Zaeem (Case No. 955/2020), held for nearly four years despite medical issues including diabetes and spinal disc problems. He was arrested on January 5, 2021, and disappeared for 11 days before appearing before prosecutors.
Tawfik Ghanem, 70, arrested on May 21, 2021, suffers from prostate enlargement, bone issues, and diabetes. He was later added to a terrorism watchlist with four other journalists. On May 18, 2024, Egypt’s Court of Cassation overturned the decision to list them.
Poor Detention Conditions
Economist and writer Abdel Khalek Farouk repeatedly complained about his prison conditions. On March 31, 2025, he told his wife during a visit that large rats were inside his cell. Despite notifying prison officials, no action was taken.
Farouk was arrested on October 21, 2024, without being allowed to take his medication. He remains in pretrial detention (Case No. 4937/2024).
Enforced Disappearance and Torture
In 2024, authorities continued arresting journalists, including cartoonist and translator Ashraf Omar of Al-Manassa, who was taken from his home on July 22, 2024. He reappeared 48 hours later in Case No. 1968/2024, accused of spreading false news and joining a terrorist group. His family reported he was blindfolded and tortured with electric shocks.
Journalist Ahmed Serag was arrested after interviewing Omar’s wife and publishing it on Zat Masr. He remains in pretrial detention (Case No. 7/2025), facing charges including spreading false news and committing funding-related crimes.
Exceeding Pretrial Limits
Several journalists have been detained beyond the legal pretrial limit. Mostafa Al-Khatib, Associated Press correspondent, has been detained since October 13, 2019 (Case No. 488/2019), while journalist Medhat Ramadan was arrested in May 2020 and forcibly disappeared for a month before appearing in Case No. 680/2020.
Ahmed Sebaie, previously acquitted in 2017, was re-arrested in 2020 (Case No. 1111/2020) and remains detained. His wife recently appealed for his release, marking their sixth consecutive Ramadan apart.
Recycling Cases (“Tadweer”)
Some detainees face case “recycling” — being charged in new cases after release orders. Journalist Mohamed Saeed Fahmy was arrested in May 2018, released in 2020, then re-arrested in different cases without clear justification. He faced repeated forced disappearances and reappearances in different judicial cases.
Bloggers Also Targeted
Blogger Mohamed Oxygen, arrested during routine police visit related to a prior case, was charged in a new case (Case No. 1356/2019) alongside activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer, later sentenced in emergency court trials.
Female Journalists Under Pressure
Journalist Donia Samir Fathy was arrested with her three children on May 27, 2022 (Case No. 440/2022), accused of publishing a Facebook video complaining about harassment by a governor. Though reports surfaced in September 2023 about her pending release, she remains detained.
Journalist Rasha Azab began a sit-in at the Press Syndicate on December 16, 2024, in protest of threats and harassment from security forces since October 7, 2023. The Press Syndicate filed complaints on her behalf.
Raids and Confiscations
On July 27, 2024, security forces raided Dar Al-Maraya for Culture and Arts, seizing 217 books and computers. The raid followed criticism of a poetry book by political activist Ahmed Douma.
Media Oversight and Fines
Journalists and media outlets also faced escalating penalties. In December 2024, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation summoned representatives of Al-Nahar TV, Al-Shorouk, and Cairo 24 without specifying violations.
In March 2025, the Council fined Al-Ahly TV EGP 100,000 and suspended the show Al-Ahly Keeper and host Ahmed Shobeir for two weeks. Other channels, including Shams TV and Al-Hadath Al-Youm, were also fined and warned.
Commission Demands
The ECRF calls for:
- Releasing all detained journalists, especially those held beyond the legal limit.
- Providing adequate medical care in detention.
- Ending the practice of “case recycling” to prolong detention.
- Halting excessive fines and penalties on media outlets.
- Respecting constitutional guarantees of press freedom.
- Revising media laws to ensure alignment with the constitution.
- Ensuring the public’s right to access information and diverse viewpoints.
Bans and Fines
On March 4, 2025, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation approved a financial penalty of 100,000 EGP on Al-Ahly TV channel and decided to suspend the broadcast of the program “Al-Ahly’s Guardian” for two weeks, as well as banning media personality Ahmed Shobeir from appearing on the channel for the same duration.
The decision came after investigations conducted by the Complaints Committee, in accordance with Law No. 180 of 2018 and Article 16 of the sanctions regulations issued by the Council’s Decision No. 16 of 2019.
Two days later, the Council decided to suspend the broadcast of the program “El Shams Stadium” for a month, imposed a fine of 100,000 EGP on El Shams TV channel, and banned the host Ahmed El Sherif from appearing on the channel.
The Supreme Council also issued a warning to El Shams channel that its license could be revoked if violations recur.
Additionally, the Council fined “Hey” TV channel 100,000 EGP and issued a warning, citing violations of the channel’s license terms and instances of mixing media content with advertising in some of its programs, including inappropriate language and behavior aired on one of the programs.
On April 16, the Council fined the website “Ain Masr” 100,000 EGP for defamation and harm against a real estate company and a restaurant through published news content. The site was also required to remove the offending content.
Another fine of 50,000 EGP was imposed on the website “Telegraph Masr” for publishing false news attributed to an official source allegedly from the Council.
The channel “Al Hadath Alyoum” was also fined 100,000 EGP for two violations: one related to an episode of the program “Hazrat Al-Muwatin”, and the other for allowing the host of the program “As’hab Al-Risala” to appear on air without obtaining the necessary media appearance license.
Among the set of decisions issued, a fine of 25,000 EGP was also imposed on the website “The First Page” for defaming a restaurant through news content, and the site was required to delete the violating content.
In response, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms called for opening the public sphere for journalists and allowing them to practice their profession without restrictions or any form of violations.
The Commission also called for the immediate release of detained journalists, particularly those held beyond the pre-trial detention period, and for providing them with proper medical care while in detention.
It emphasized the need to stop the practice of “recycling charges” used by authorities to prolong journalists’ detentions.
Furthermore, the Commission urged the Supreme Council for Media Regulation to stop imposing ongoing fines and sanctions on websites and TV channels, considering these actions to be a form of restriction rather than media regulation.
They suggested that warnings should suffice before imposing severe penalties, and stressed the importance of halting restrictive practices and allowing journalists and media professionals to carry out their work freely without fear of prosecution.