{"id":625187,"date":"2018-09-30T04:09:47","date_gmt":"2018-09-30T04:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2018\/09\/30\/egypts-rights-and-freedoms-take-another-beating-in-the-foreign-press\/"},"modified":"2018-09-30T04:09:47","modified_gmt":"2018-09-30T04:09:47","slug":"egypts-rights-and-freedoms-take-another-beating-in-the-foreign-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2018\/09\/30\/egypts-rights-and-freedoms-take-another-beating-in-the-foreign-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Egypt\u2019s rights and freedoms take another beating in the foreign press"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> Egypt\u2019s rights and freedoms records took yet another beating in the foreign press over the weekend, <\/strong>with the case of Amal Fathy \u2014 an activist who was penalized after posting a video on social media speaking against [redacted] harassment \u2014 at center stage. Amnesty International<\/a> called on authorities to \u201cimmediately and unconditionally release Fathy,\u201d who received a suspended two-year sentence on charges of \u201cspreading false news,\u201d says Reuters<\/a>. The story was widely picked up by news outlets including the AP<\/a>, AFP<\/a>, Wall Street Journal<\/a>, and Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fathy\u2019s sentencing came one day after a group of UN human rights experts <\/strong>issued a statement<\/strong><\/a> criticizing Egypt <\/strong>for using its anti-terrorism law as a \u201cpretext\u201d for detaining rights defenders. Also on Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) held a panel discussion<\/a> at the UN General Assembly where they singled out countries, including Egypt, for imprisoning journalists. All of that comes as the Economist<\/a> cited the recent arrests of retired diplomat Masoum Marzouk and a geology professor, as signs that authorities have grown \u201ceven more intolerant of dissent.\u201d<\/p>\n

In policy shift, military said to be arming Bedouins: <\/strong>The Armed Forces appear to be arming Bedouin tribes in Sinai for Operation Sinai, in a shift of a longstanding policy of solely relying on them for intelligence, writes Brian Rohan for the AP<\/a>. The change in tactic signals a positive shift in the relationship between Bedouins and the army. \u201cAt the very least, the cooperation shows local residents expect the army to win eventually,\u201d blogger Greenfly told the newswire. At the same time, the shift also highlights the success of the operation, which has driven Daesh out of coastal cities and into the interior of the Peninsula, requiring a greater role for the Bedouin.<\/p>\n

Other headlines worth noting in brief include:<\/p>\n