Egypt: Journalist Sayed Saber jailed for social media posts
Egyptian journalist Sayed Saber was jailed for 15 days in the early hours of November 27th after publishing social media posts that were critical of the government, according to TheNewArab.
Saber was detained by Egyptian law enforcement late on November 26th and, in what appears to be an intimidation tactic, was taken to an unknown location overnight before arriving at a state prosecution office in Cairo early the next day.
Though the charges remain unclear, the arrest of the journalist and author was reportedly triggered by his denunciation of the regime’s “fascism of military rule”, and his following sarcastic remarks on the overlap of military and civil authorities in the Egyptian government.
Sayed Saber’s arrest brings the total number of journalists behind bars to 24, 15 of which have not stood a fair trial.
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An active member of the Arab nationalist and socialist party Al-Karama, Saber has been a long-time thorn in the side of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, through his literary works and online presence.
His most recent book, titled Marzraet El-Makarouna (The Pasta Farm), is a fiction work centred around evolution of Egypt’s social and cultural values over the past few decades. Sayed Saber is well know for his sarcastic writing style which often sparks controversy.
While the legal limit of pre-trial detention is 24 months, the Egyptian government often files new charges to refresh this limit, meaning detainees can remain imprisoned for several years without trial.
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Local and international human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the government for its treatment of journalists and political enemies.
In 2023, Egypt came 170 out of 180 on the Word Press Freedom Index, ranking among oppressive regimes such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Over the course of al-Sisi’s rule, more than 500 news websites and outlets have been banned, including TheNewArab.
TheNewArab/agencies
