The IPI global network condemns Egypt’s detention of Al Jazeera journalists Hisham Abdelaziz, Bahaa Eldin Ibrahim, and Rabie el-Sheikh. The Egyptian authorities must release them immediately. IPI calls on the Egyptian government to put a halt to baseless attacks on journalists, uphold its responsibility in protecting press freedom, and release imprisoned journalists in the country. 

On February 23, an Egyptian court extended the detention of Al Jazeera journalists Hisham Abdelaziz and Bahaa Eldin Ibrahim. They have now been held for over three years. They were arrested in June 2019 and February 2020, respectively. The journalists were accused of “spreading false information”, an accusation that Egypt has often used in the past to detain journalists.

The court’s decision came one day after Al Jazeera released a statement calling for the release of the journalists, including Al Jazeera journalist Rabie el-Sheikh, who has been detained since August 2021. All three men, who worked as producers for Al Jazeera Mubasher, have been held in the Tora Prison Complex, known for a multitude of human rights abuses. Al Jazeera said that Ibrahim had been subjected to “enforced disappearance, torture, and solitary confinement,” among other illegal violations.

This is not the first time that Al Jazeera journalists have been targeted in Egypt on similar charges. In May 2022, an Egyptian court sentenced Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Taha to 15 years in jail in absentia for “false news” after an interview with an opposition figure and former presidential candidate. Journalist Mahmoud Hussein was held for over four years without charges before being released in February 2021.

Over the last 5 years, the Egyptian government has amplified its crackdown on the media. Since 2018, at least 51 journalists have been imprisoned, the majority under the pretense of “false news.”

“The continued arbitrary detention of Abdelaziz, Ibrahim, and el-Sheikh is a clear sign that Egypt is continuing its crackdown on journalism in the country”, IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette said. “The government must release them immediately, along with all jailed journalists, and stop abusing so-called ‘false information’ and other vague laws to harass the media.”