The State Commissioners Commission issued on Wednesday the recommendation to close the British daily The Guardian’s office in Egypt.

The recommendations came within case no. 54519 in the Administrative Judiciary Court. The case was raised by Samir Sabry, a lawyer known for raising cases against political opponents in Egypt and is supposed to be a civil interface of official security bodies.

Sabry claimed that The Guardian admitted fabricating reports against Egypt and using them to distort the image of the domestic situation in Egypt. Sabry demanded its office be closed as a lesson to other foreign news agencies that Egyptian authorities have the capability of shutting down any voice attacking Egypt.

The case is part of the crackdown launched by Egyptian authorities against journalism which has seen reporters arrested, news websites blocked and foreign news agencies’ offices shut down.

Egypt ranked 163 out of 180 countries on the Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index.