Egypt Watch

Egypt authorities block Daaarb news website

Egyptian authorities have blocked Daaarb news website launched by the Socialist Popular Alliance Party a month ago, in a continuation of their policy to limit press freedoms.

Khaled al-Balshi, the website’s editor-in-chief, said: “In the coming days, we will take legal action and alternatives measures, so that Daaarb can continue to be a window for the exchange of information and opinions.” Daaarb is the third website edited by the well-known journalist and Nelson Mandela award winner Khaled al-Balshi to be blocked by Egyptian authorities, after Katib news website was blocked in June 2018, and Bedaya news website in 2017.

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression affirmed that after Daaarb was blocked the number of blocked sites in Egypt is 547, including 125 press sites, since May 2017. In the same context, Mahmoud Kamel, a member of the Press Syndicate, said that he received complaints from journalists working for Al-Ghad Al-Arabi channel, stating that the channel’s administration had taken a decision to dismiss more than 80 employees, including journalists, workers and employees, without prior warning or justification, in addition to stopping all recorded programmes.

Egypt is considered one of the worst violators of press freedom in the world, as it is ranked 163 among 180 countries, according to the Reporters Without Borders 2019 Press Freedom Index.