The kidnapping of Mada Masr journalist Shady Zalat unleashes the age of media darkness in Egypt

Cairo: 24 November 2019

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said today that the kidnapping and disappearance of journalist Shady Zalat, an editor with Mada Masr news website, is not only a continuation of the regular approach of hostility towards professional and independent journalism, but also it launches the stage of media darkness in Egypt, where professional and independent journalism has completely disappeared. The 100 million people country has been without journalism nor any independent or professional newspapers in light of the harsh and repressive censorship practiced by many security services in Egypt.

At dawn on Saturday (yesterday), the security forces broke into the house of journalist “Shady Zalat” and arrested him without presenting an arrest warrant or order. He has been missing since then despite that the 24 hours prescribed by law has already passed turning the arrest into a case of abduction, with the knowledge of a certain security body.

Until the abducted journalist appears and the body responsible for his kidnapping and the reasons behind the kidnap are revealed, ANHRI believes the kidnap came as a result of publishing a report about the sidelining of President Sisi’s son from his post dispatching him to Russia, under the title “Long mission”: Expelling Mahmoud al-Sisi to Russia”.

If the kidnap is really linked to this press report, those who kidnapped the journalist, whoever they are, should have first respected professional norms and the rule of law by sending a correction to the news piece, or even a complaint/report to the Journalists Syndicate, in case they have a different narrative, or even disclosed the reasons behind the kidnap- if any- instead of abducting the journalist or engaging in police practices that further damage the image and reputation of these security services. But unfortunately this did not happen.

It’s worth mentioning that ‘Mada Masr’ is one of the very few news websites that, despite being blocked for more than two years among over 500 websites, is still striving to practice professional and impartial journalism. However, and because of its commitment to these professional standards, it has become a target for a long-term campaign of defamation and threats, the last of which was the kidnapping of its editor Shady Zalat. Such a matter represents, for whoever is concerned with the freedom and the value of the press, a clear manifestation that professional journalism is undesirable in Egypt in light of such police regime that shows antagonism towards any different, critical or opposing voices.

ANHRI considers this statement as a report about the kidnapping of “Zalat”, and calls on the Public Prosecutor to open an urgent and transparent investigation into the incident, identify those responsible for his kidnapping, and hold them accountable; so that Egypt won’t become a hotbed of police practices which violate the law and spread fear among the few remaining professional journalists, who still adhere to real -and generally accepted- journalism in support of respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.