Cairo: 17 December 2019

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) released today a position paper on the deteriorating situation of the Egyptian media. The paper, entitled “The man behind the crippled media… Makram Mohamed Ahmed, a long journey of struggle against freedom and change”, sheds light on the authority and regulation of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), and the historic role played by Makram Mohamed Ahmed, in his capacity as the head of SCMR, in outlining and determining the situation of media in Egypt.

The brief paper provides a definition of the Supreme Media Council and explains how and when it was established. It gives a quick snapshot of the professional career of journalist Makram Mohamed Ahmed, starting from his work as an editor at Al-Akhbar newspaper, and then serving as the Chairman of the Journalists Syndicate, until holding the post of the head of SCMR. The paper also monitors Makram’s anti-freedom stances before and during the Arab Spring, and until nowadays.

ANHRI said: “The main purpose of this paper is to clarify how the Supreme Media Council and its head are directly responsible for the deteriorating situation that the Egyptian media is currently witnessing. It emphasizes that the authority granted to SCMR and its president, who shows candid hostility to freedoms- as monitored by the paper, is among the reasons behind the deterioration of media. It also stresses the need to put an end to the constraints and restrictions imposed on media and press freedoms.”

To check the paper:

for pdf

for word