press release

Cairo — The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemns the Egyptian government's blocking 21 websites Monday night, for allegedly "inciting extremism or supporting terrorism", charges that are deemed flimsy by all people knowing that they are being leveled in order to gloss over the Egyptian regime's hostility towards freedom of opinion and expression and its vicious pursuit to prosecute dissidents.

The decision came as part of a series of crackdown campaign imposed on freedom of expression on the Internet since mid-2013; under the pretext of combating or inciting terrorism, or alleging that those targeted by prosecution are seeking to overthrow the regime.

The last episode of this series is the ongoing brutal security crackdown through which the state is prosecuting dozens of youth against the backdrop of the peaceful expression of their opinion on social networking sites. ANHRI said, "We have become in a prison whose walls are getting higher a day after day. After the passing of the Protest Law, the prosecution of civil society organizations alongside human rights defenders, and the imprisonment of political and social media activists, we were surprised yesterday evening with the decision of blocking 21 websites without any prior notice from any judicial- or even administrative- authority and upon no court order. Such a matter indeed consolidates the rule of the individual, the absence of law and the institutionalism of the governmental decisions."

On Monday night (May 24), the government-backed Middle East News Agency (MENA) announced the blocking of 21 websites, citing a senior security source- who is not named- as saying that the decision is due to the websites' having content that supports terrorism and extremism as well as publishing lies.

MENA mentioned a number of websites included in the blocking decision: Mada Masr, Al Jazeera, Al Sharq TV, Masr Al Arabiya, Arabi 21, Al Shaab, Hamas Online, and Rassd.

Some media outlets reported that the list also includes the following websites:

Klmty, El Horreya (Freedom) Post, Hasm, Ikhwan Online, Nafezat Masr (Egypt Window), Cairo Portal, and Mekameleen.

Although "Huffington Post" websites was not named by MENA, users said that it is inaccessible as well.

In December 2015, the Egyptian government blocked the website of "Al-Araby Al-Jadeed" newspaper. ANHRI denounced the decision and filed a lawsuit in January 2016 against Prime Minister, the Minister of Communications, the head of the National Telecommunications Authority, the Minister of the Interior and the Director of the General Directorate of Documentation and Information at the Interior Minister, calling for rescinding the decision. The lawsuit was then referred to the Commissioners Authority, in last July, to provide its legal opinion.

The Egyptian authorities resort to the policy of blocking news websites and the decisions of publication ban as a way to obstruct the publishing of the news revealing legal and human rights violations. In November 2010, for example, they blocked several websites that were monitoring the electoral and voting process in the then parliamentary elections. Additionally, they cut off communications in 28 January 2011, in conjunction with the escalation of protests during the January revolution.

ANHRI called on the Egyptian authorities to reverse the decision of blocking websites, abide by the international commitments regarding the respect for freedom of opinion and expression, and to stop prosecuting political opponents and opinion-holders.