COP27: Egyptian journalist 'forcibly disappeared' ahead of planned anti-government protests

COP27: Egyptian journalist 'forcibly disappeared' ahead of planned anti-government protests
It remains unclear why Moussa, a freelance journalist and member of the press syndicate, would have been detained.
2 min read
Egypt - Cairo
07 November, 2022
Egypt has been described as the world's third worst jailer of journalists where dozens of journalists remain behind bars. [Getty]

Egyptian journalist Mohamed Mostafa Moussa has disappeared in suspicious circumstances from the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, raising further concerns about a growing crackdown on journalists and activists ahead of planned protests on 11 November against the regime.

Unidentified men, believed to belong to security services, reportedly took Moussa to an unknown place, the independent Darb news outlet reported on Monday.

Darb quoted lawyer Mohamed Ramadan as urging the press syndicate head Diyaa Rashwan, known for being loyal to the regime, to intervene and find out Moussa's whereabouts.

It remains unclear why Moussa, a freelance journalist and member of the press syndicate, would have been detained.

Egypt has been described as the world's third worst jailer of journalists where dozens of journalists remain behind bars. Around 600 local and international online media outlets are blocked in Egypt, including The New Arab

Last Thursday, two days after being forcibly disappeared, journalist Manal Agrama appeared before the public prosecution, facing 'terrorism-related' charges, a charge used by the regime routinely against dissidents and journalists.

The leader of her defence team, prominent lawyer Khaled Ali, said in a statement posted on Facebook that Agrama had been accused of being a member of a terrorist group, financing terrorism, inciting terrorist crimes and misusing social media to promote terrorism.

“A number of lawyers at my office were present in the interrogation. The prosecution ordered the detention of Agrama for 15 days, pending further investigations into the case,” the statement added.

Agrama was an outspoken critic of the government’s performance and politics, also voicing scepticism over Egypt’s ability to host COP27

International organisations have recently been alarmed towards Egypt’s restrictions on freedoms ahead of the UN Climate Summit, also known as COP 27, which kicked off on Sunday and will continue till 18 November in the fortified resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Since taking power in 2014, the regime of Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has been ruling the country with an iron fist and is frequently accused by local and international rights groups of overseeing the worst crackdown on human rights, freedom of expression, and media in the country's modern history.