Egypt in the News on 27 October 2019
The foreign press is back to coverage of the fallout from last month’s protests. BuzzFeed is claiming that Twitter suspended “dozens of accounts” belonging to Egyptians and Egyptian-Americans critical of the government during the demonstrations that broke out in September. The social media platform apparently said that the accounts were erroneously suspended. The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, notes the growing evidence of the use of torture by Egyptian security forces. Meanwhile, Mohamed Ali has done his fourth sit-down with the international press in as many days, adding AFP to the interviews he gave the BBC, New York Times and the Guardian last week.
Other headlines to keep your eyes on this morning:
- Egypt’s military ties with North Korea are back on the foreign press’ radar, with the Washington Post alleging that it has seen internal documents confirming the Egyptian military’s involvement in facilitating the passage of a shipment of North Korean weapons through Egypt in 2015.
- Calls to free Shawkan: The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling on the UN to push for the unconditional release of photojournalist Mahmoud “Shawkan” Abu Zeid, who spends the night at a police station everyday under the conditions of his release from prison.
- Syrian refugees detained: Dozens of Syrian refugees in Egypt have recently been arrested and are being held in “unacceptable” conditions, researchers tell Al Monitor.
- Climate change awareness through comedy: A comedy troupe is visiting farmers in Southern Egypt to teach them about climate change and sustainable farming through comedic skits, according to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.