Media crackdown

One of the battlegrounds in the upcoming elections is over the media, where journalists and bloggers are objecting to the military's censorship and control over the media. The blogger Saleh (real name withheld for security reasons), told Deutsche Welle about his disappointment with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

Deutsche Welle: What are your concerns regarding the SCAF?

Saleh: Since the revolution in February, there are two different wishes in Egypt - the people's desire for a change, and the army's desire to keep the old order in place.

How is that reflected?

I am a blogger and a consumer of media, so I can put my focus on that topic. The army controls the media and uses it for its own purposes. It is true nowadays you can write about topics which were taboo, but you still cannot criticize the SCAF. There were already some cases when army forces prevented the printing of newspapers.

What is the difference between the current situation and pre-revolutionary Egypt regarding the freedom of press?

In some cases it got better, but in other cases it is much worse. Nowadays there's more use of Chapter 148 of the Egyptian law, which says if you insult the Egyptian parliament, the court, the state authorities or the army then you deserve a penalty. In addition, some publications received a warning from the SCAF telling them to avoid publishing any item related to the armed forces without first consulting with the "Committee of Moral Matters."

And what happens if you disobey?

A couple of my blogger colleagues, as well as a few journalists, were investigated and imprisoned. The blogger Michael Nabil Sanad was sentenced to three years in jail because he wrote about the army's methods of torturing prisoners. In his verdict, it was said he insulted the army. That is insane.

In October, after the army fired at Coptic demonstrators near the TV building in Cairo, there were accusations that the media was responsible for the bloodbath.

There was a lot of anger about the TV channels, since they gave a totally wrong picture of the reality. The television reports said that a Coptic mob attacked the army, and they called for the decent citizens to go out to the streets and protect the armed forces. In reality, the army was shooting civilians. So I am asking: is that free press? Is that journalism?

Was that a turning point in the public opinion toward media-army relations?

The turning point happened a bit later, when the SCAF appointed a governmental committee which announced the media's coverage of the event was flawless. That was absurd. When army generals and the minister of information started to praise the TV's journalistic work, it was clear something was fishy. The Egyptians are not willing to accept this kind of media anymore, not after the revolution, and that is one of the grounds for the current struggle against the SCAF.

What is the Ministry of Information?

De facto, it functions as the censor of the government. Since the SCAF is in charge now, it actually functions as the military's censorship. That ministry was closed down after the revolution, but restored in July. That is more evidence that the army is trying to kill the revolution.

What's in store for Egypt now?

The current demonstrations against the army are so important, they are even more important than the February demonstrations. We fight now over the future regime in our land - whether we will have democracy or a dominant military regime.

What is the worst-case scenario in your opinion?

To return to a corrupted regime based on fear and brutal power. Mentally, we are now back in January, facing the ultimate battle against the regime. Me, and many more Egyptians, will not agree with the current system which allows citizens to be brought to trial in a military court. We are civilians, not soldiers. The blogger Alaa Abd El-Fatah has been under arrest for over a month just because he refuses to be investigated by the military prosecutor. Many people are willing to follow his way. We are not the toys of the army, we demand rights as civilians and human beings.

Interview: Adi Halfon

Editor: Rob Mudge