Egyptian authorities have blocked at least 21 news websites seen as critical of the government, including Al Jazeera, HuffPost Arabi, and the independent platform Mada Masr, in a move widely viewed as a major crackdown on press freedom.
The state-run news agency MENA announced that the blocked sites were accused of “spreading lies” and “supporting terrorism.” While the agency did not release the full list of affected outlets, it said that legal action would follow.
Al Jazeera, partially owned by Qatar’s royal family, has long been a target of the Egyptian government since the 2013 ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, whom Qatar supported. Several Al Jazeera journalists were arrested in the years following Morsi’s removal.
Although Mada Masr was not listed explicitly, its website has become inaccessible within Egypt unless accessed through a VPN. Founded in 2013, Mada Masr has built a reputation as one of the last independent news sources in the country, publishing critical reporting in both Arabic and English amid increasing restrictions under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
“We realized there was a problem when we couldn’t access our website’s back end,” said Lina Attalah, Mada Masr’s editor-in-chief. “At first, we thought it was just general internet issues, but then reports came in that the site was blocked from multiple locations.”
Attalah said her team was working to restore access but feared that the government might raid their offices next.
“Our main goal is to keep publishing. This feels like the beginning of a long struggle, but we will find a way to continue,” she added.
The site bans come shortly after police raids on other news outlets in Cairo, including Al Borsa and Daily News Egypt, where officers seized equipment and interrogated staff about their political coverage.
Earlier this year, Egypt also blocked access to the encrypted messaging app Signal, raising further concerns about digital surveillance and censorship.
The latest restrictions coincide with a wider political clampdown, including the arrest of around 30 members of leftist opposition parties, and the detention of prominent lawyer and former presidential candidate Khaled Ali, who has been charged with indecency ahead of the 2018 presidential election, where President Sisi is expected to seek a second term.
“There’s a clear message being sent,” Attalah said. “The authorities want to silence anyone who dares to criticize them.”
Wow, this is a huge blow to press freedom! 😟
Can someone explain why they blocked HuffPost Arabi as well?
Isn’t blocking sites like Al Jazeera just going to make people more curious?
What’s next? 😤 Will they block social media too?
Thanks for raising awareness about this important issue!
Sisi seems to be taking cues from other authoritarian regimes. Sad!
Does using a VPN fully bypass these blocks? Asking for a friend.