Egypt Jails Journalists' Union Chief, Two Others for 2 Years

In Cairo, Egypt on Saturday, an Egyptian court sentenced two years of prison time for the head of the journalists’ union and two of its board members for housing their colleagues wanted by the law and spreading false news. This decision comes after Egyptian authorities have been searching for ways to dwindle uprisings against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. This resentment comes as the economy is on the decline. The union said that it’s going to appeal the verdict of it’s members. The union believes that the verdict is a message to the whole union, and not just against the three members prosecuted. People have been prosecuting outside government buildings in Cairo, protesting the verdict. It will be interesting to see how this all ends. Egypt is said to have the worst detentions of journalists after China. With the increase of media coverage about this specifically, I wonder if Egypt will continue detaining journalists or if they will let up on their harsh rule. Something tells me this will continue, though, as it has been a trend since the early 2000’s.

-Lauren Whelan

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/11/19/world/middleeast/egypt-rights-journalists.html?ref=world