Egypt. Journalist disappears for 24 hours and reappears in court sentenced to 15 days

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05 October 2020After 24 hours of absolute silence Basma Mostafa, Egyptian journalist of the online newspaper 'Al-Manassa', appeared in court where she was sentenced to 15 days of pre-trial detention in a prison in Cairo.

According to Karim Abdel-Rady, one of the woman's lawyers and husband, the reporter Basma Mostafa appeared before the judge yesterday morning, unable to get in touch with anyone and the lawyers were unable to find out with which charges the woman was imprisoned.

The journalist was in Luxor to report the death of Awais Al-Rawi on 30 September last.

According to the victim's family, the man had opposed the arrest of his brother, accused of taking part in a demonstration against the government and for this reason the policemen had shot him, according to Egyptian media, in fact, in Luxor and in various cities in the province there were many protests and marches to denounce the difficult economic conditions in which the country finds itself amplified by the pandemic.

Among the consequences, the increase in basic necessities prices.

Al-Manassa newspaper confirms that Basma Mostafa was in Luxor to document these facts when a police officer stopped her to ask for her identity documents.

It was the reporter who told her colleagues on the phone around 11 on Saturday morning, explaining that the agent, after the check, would continue to follow her.

After a few hours both colleagues and her husband lost contact, hence the hypothesis that Mostafa was arrested and taken to Cairo.

Al-Jazeera says it has contacted the Egyptian authorities but has not received comments on the Mostafa case.

The international newspaper also notes that the incident has brought back into the debate the issue of difficulties, including judicial ones, that the world of information encounters in Egypt: according to Al-Jazeera it would not be the first time that a reporter has been arrested because without permits.

The independent newspaper Mada Masr instead reports that since 2017 at least 500 websites have been blocked in Egypt, including Al-Manassa.

It is only accessible from abroad.