Security forces have stormed the Anadolu Turkish news agency office in
Cairo, arrested four journalists including one Turkish citizen, and taken
them to an unknown location.
The Ministry of Interior announced in a statement that the four
journalists were arrested for having formed a media cell affiliated with
Turkey to publish false and fabricated news regarding the political and
economic situation in Egypt.
In an official statement the Turkish president condemned the hostile
practices of the Egyptian authorities against the Turkish media, noting
that what happened “is an indication of the regime’s powerless status,
the extent of its fear and hostility to the press and freedom of
expression.”
The Turkish Minister of Justice said: “We are awaiting the release of
Anadolu Agency employees in Egypt, and we condemn this reckless act.”
According to the Reporters without Borders press freedom index for
2019, Egypt has fallen to 163 globally out of 180 countries.
According to Committee to Protect Journalists statistics, Egypt is ranked
the third worst country in the world in terms of imprisoning journalists.