Because the this one story has dominated the news cycle for days, it is difficult to find material that has not been overworked, but today I have three articles that focus on the attempts by the Mubarak Regime to stifle the free flow of information and the need to oppose such measures.
For starters, he has banned Al Jazeera.
Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel, which has given nearly round-the-clock coverage to the uprising against the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was shut down in Egypt today.
Egyptian authorities have shut down the offices of AlJazeera following the network’s coverage of riots in Cairo, the channel announced today.
The Egyptian authorities announced through the state television that they are revoking the Al Jazeera Network’s licence to broadcast from the country, and will be shutting down its bureau office in Cairo, according to the Qatar-based channel.
Egyptian state news agency MENA said Al Jazeera’s journalists had been stripped of their accreditation and the network’s licence had been withdrawn.
"The Information Minister ordered….suspension of operations of Al Jazeera, cancelling of its licences and withdrawing accreditation to all its staff as of today," a statement on the MENA website said.
Al Jazeera has been at the forefront of reporting on the popular protests and riots that overthrew Tunisian president Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali and threaten to do the same to Mubarak.
Before many others, the news channel flooded bulletins with footage, streamed online and updated its Twitter, Facebook and blog sites.
A statement by Al-Jazeera today described Egypt’s decision an act "designed to stifle and repress" open reporting… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <One India>
While Al Jazeera has a decidedly pro Islam outlook, over the years, I have found them to be professional and accurate in there presentation, far more so than some US news sources. This action is ill advised on Mubarak’s part and will only make the situation worse.
Mubarak has also shut down Internet communication.
For the rocks and other projectiles that protestors are hurling in the streets of Cairo, Egypt’s riot police have shields.
To combat social media, another important weapon for the demonstrators, outside experts and people living in the country say the government has coordinated a blockage of certain communications websites and unplugged internet access entirely to parts of the country.
On Thursday, protesters active on Twitter and Facebook, publicly documenting demonstrations on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other cities, went quiet. Around the same time, many websites centralized on servers in Egypt disappeared.
On Friday, that Web shutdown seemed to be holding… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <CNN>
Once again, Mubarak is making a bad situation worse by using repressive methods. Obama was right to call for the restoration of data access, but he lacks credibility, because his own administration is working on an Internet kill switch here. While I understand the possible need for such an ability, the law must be made crystal clear that it may only be used in a cyber attack a hostile foreign government.
Despite Republican calls to support the dictator, saner heads are calling for reform.
As ThinkProgress reported earlier today, a number of high-profile right-wing figures have risen to the defense of the embattled Hosni Mubarak government in Egypt. Yet as thousands of Egyptians continue to fight for their freedom, the eyes of the international community are falling squarely on the Obama administration.
Today, the Egypt Working Group — “A bipartisan group of former U.S. officials and foreign policy scholars” that includes CAP’s Brian Katulis — released a statement calling on President Obama to suspend military and economic aid to Egypt until the government endorses free and fair elections and ends its crackdown on civil liberties and civil rights:
Only free and fair elections provide the prospect for a peaceful transfer of power to a government recognized as legitimate by the Egyptian people. We urge the Obama administration to pursue these fundamental objectives in the coming days and press the Egyptian government to:
– call for free and fair elections for president and for parliament to be held as soon as possible;
– amend the Egyptian Constitution to allow opposition candidates to register to run for the presidency;
– immediately lift the state of emergency, release political prisoners, and allow for freedom of media and assembly;
– allow domestic election monitors to operate throughout the country, without fear of arrest or violence;
– immediately invite international monitors to enter the country and monitor the process leading to elections, reporting on the government’s compliance with these measures to the international community; and
– publicly declare that Hosni Mubarak will agree not to run for re-election.
We further recommend that the Obama administration suspend all economic and military assistance to Egypt until the government accepts and implements these measures.
The position of the Obama administration has been unclear. While administration officials have condemned abuses of civil liberties, they’ve also fallen short of endorsing Mubarak’s ouster or ending support for the regime, with Vice President Joe Biden even going as far as to say that Mubarak isn’t a dictator… [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
I support most of the ideas put forward by this group. While many in the US are calling on Mubarak to resign, that matter is up to Egyptians, not the US. But, if Mubarak wants to save himself, he has two choices he can make. He can either increase his oppression of the Egyptian people or he can meet the people’s demands. If he chooses the former, he should get no support from the US.
16 Responses to “Egyptians Must Have the Freedom to Know!”
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I’ve been semi following the goings-on in Egypt, and It’s got me thinking; The Egyptians are protesting something very straight forward, they want to get rid of Mubarak and want a more democratic government.
Then it dawned on me, why aren’t Americans protesting like this? I mean we are getting f*cked over big-time by the banks and the corporations, but I like the Obama administration (well, sorta) so, what to do? I think the answer is that the government is now fully in bed with the corporations, be it a republican or democratic administration, SO, the people of the U.S. have to overcome BOTH, unfortunately. 👿
Nikolai, to a large extent Americans are too brainwashed to recognize that the doctrine of American exceptionalism is a lie. They believe that this is better than anywhere else despite it’s flaws, even though the citizens of several countries enjoy a higher standard of living than we. While corporations do influence some Democrats, it’s inaccurate to lump them together with Republicans. Consider how much corporations are spending to get Democrats out of power.
I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow’s headlines are about an assassination. As Mubarak’s inner circle shrinks, one or more of those remaining will see the writing on the wall and try to escape a lynching.
The birth of democracy is a messy business.
Besides, we can use the 1.5 billion to lessen the deficit. How about cutting off aid to Israel too? And every other dictatorship we’re propping up? Let them sort it out themselves. US security interests? Yeah, right.
Marva, you could be right, but I think he’s more likely to abdicate before that happens.
Nice post TC.
Interesting that one thing the US, Mubarak and Saddam Hussein all have/had in common is banning AJ for their bias, in Saddams’s case he claimed they were too pro-American I believe.
I find them not only one of the best major news sources around, but their field reporters ( at least the ones I’ve spoken to at pro-Palestine protests here in SF) are friendly and beautiful women, whom I would love to marry if they would only drop their standards very very low.
Oso, I’ve never met an AJ reporter personally. I often review their product, although I do not frequently use them as a source, because the bulk of Americans perceive them as biased. I consider them less biased than CNN, ABC, and CNN.
If you find one willing to drop her standards almost low enough for you, send her my way. 😉
Taking media and internet away from the populace will only inflame the protesters more. That was a stupid move on Mubarak’s part.
I agree, as I said.
Nikoplai: It is the right-wing in our country that is calling for revolution. So you want to be a part of that? The situation in our country in no way compares to the one in Egypt. Their government is totally repressive – over 53% of the poor. I think I heard the average wage per day is $2.
Excellent post, TC and I totally agree. I’m sure that makes your day. ; )
Good point on the Reich Wing, Leslie.
It does! 😉
Politics Plus is a great place to come for info. And now…here’s one grandmother’s opinion: I think Mubarak is toast.
Thanks Billie! I think you’re probably right.
A useful (and brief) background primer on Egypt:
http://americanfootprints.com/wp/2011/01/a-short-primer-on-egypt-now/
Thanks Nameless. Useful indeed.
tnlib, I do think Nikolai has a point. We are becoming SUCH a corpocracy! I think he is urging revolution from the left rather than the right, so that we do not end up with the kind of economic numbers Egypt has right now.
Jack, I think that may happen, but Americans won’t get off our lazy asses until conditions increase the level of pain considerably. I hope, without expectation, to avoid that misery.