Egyptian voters have approved an amended Constitution that strengthens guarantees of freedom of the press and expression and a ban on government interference in the news media. In response to the vote, the International Press Institute (IPI) today urged the interim government to live up to the spirit of the new fundamental law by freeing detained journalists and allowing banned media to resume their work.
The constitutional referendum – the third since the Arab Spring in 2011 – comes some six months after the military deposed President Mohamed Morsi, suspended the 2012 Constitution and unleashed a crackdown on pro-Morsi demonstrations. Amid international criticism, the transitional government pledged to draft constitutional changes and it plans elections to choose a new government later this year.
Early reports say the updated Constitution was approved by some 90 percent of voters. The document’s Articles 70, 71 and 72 provide guarantees of press freedom, freedom of publication and the independence of the news media, including protections against censorship, confiscation, suspension and closure of news media. It also includes new guarantees of equality for women (Article 11) and requires the government to uphold all “agreements, covenants, and international conventions of human rights” that have been ratified by the country (Article 93).
“We welcome the Egyptian people’s decision on the new Constitution and urge the country’s leaders to abide by the letter and spirit of the new fundamental law by respecting press freedom,” said IPI Press Freedom Manager Barbara Trionfi. “They can demonstrate this commitment immediately by freeing journalists who are being held in detention, lifting restrictions on banned news media, and pledging thorough and independent investigations into the deaths of media workers during last year’s unrest.”
Egypt has experienced a tumultuous three years since Arab Spring protests swept the country. On Feb. 11, 2011, longtime leader Hosni Mubarak resigned after 18 days of demonstrations. Morsi became the country’s first democratically elected president on June 30, 2012 and himself was removed from office and replaced by a military-led government on July 3, 2013 amid growing economic and political upheaval.
In the weeks following Morsi’s arrest, Egyptian security forces rounded up numerous journalists, including photographers and correspondents for international media. At least five journalists were killed in Egypt in July and August 2013.
Some broadcasters, among them the Egyptian affiliate of Al Jazeera, were ordered off the air. Egyptian courts also outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, including its Freedom and Justice newspaper. IPI expressed concern that the Egyptian authorities also targeted foreign journalists and international media, ransacking offices of international news organisations.
Just days before the constitutional vote, on Dec. 29, security agents detained four journalists working for Al Jazeera’s English service in connection with interviews they conducted with members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The Interior Ministry accused them of broadcasting illegally from a makeshift bureau in a Cairo hotel, spreading “false news” and “damaging national security”. The journalists were also accused of possessing materials promoting “incitement”.
The constitutional changes backed by voters in the Jan. 14 to 15 referendum would in theory bar such far-reaching government action against the media. “Egypt has a long tradition of strong print and broadcast media but continued government interference and intimidation only weakens that foundation,” said Trionfi. “We urge President Adly Mansour, who headed the Supreme Constitutional Court before he became interim president, to ensure that Egypt’s new fundamental law and its international commitments are respected and enforced. As an early signer of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions, Egypt has an obligation to uphold the freedom of the press and speech.”
