/ 2 September 2013

Photojournalist to return to SA after Egypt deportation

Al Jazeera is not the only network that has been attacked in Egypt: following the clashes that erupted between pro-Morsi protesters and Egyptian Army security forces in Cairo
Al Jazeera is not the only network that has been attacked in Egypt: following the clashes that erupted between pro-Morsi protesters and Egyptian Army security forces in Cairo, two notable press personalities were killed. (AFP)

Bradlow was detained in Egypt with three other journalists last Tuesday while working for news channel Al Jazeera. The four were arrested for allegedly filming without accreditation during the ongoing violent clashes between ousted president Mohamed Morsi's loyalists, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian security forces which has led to violent deaths.

Bradlow and the three journalists were deported to London on Sunday, while three other Al Jazeera journalists remain in custody in Cairo.

"Adil was deported to London because he was using a UK passport when he entered Egypt. However, we have spoken to him, he is fine, he is about to board a plane for home soon," confirmed Benny Gool, spokesperson for the Bradlow family.

Press officer for Al Jazeera Hasan Patel has accused the Egyptian government of widening its censorship towards Al Jazeera following an accusation that the network is working as a mouthpiece for the Muslim Brotherhood.

"There is no accreditation system in Egypt; there are no functional structures there. The government has been intimidating our staff for months. We have no idea why they are still keeping our people and our equipment. We suspect that our coverage has been too raw for their liking."

The ministry of investment on Thursday threatened to ban Al Jazeera Mubashir, the network's Egyptian affiliate, because it said it lacked the required legal permits. The ministry accused the channel of "spreading lies and rumours damaging to Egyptian national security and unity".

Raided
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So far the ministry of interior has confiscated two broadcasting cars and equipment from Al Jazeera Mubashir. Patel confirmed this, and added that Mubashir's office was raided and shut down on July 3, shortly after the military announced Morsi's removal. Its sister channel, Al Jazeera Arabic, was raided in mid-August and shut down. Both stations continue to broadcast from Qatar with feeds from inside Egypt.

"We still have four staff members covering the story inside Egypt. We will not be intimidated, these scaring tactics are not new so they will not stop us from covering the turmoil," said Patel.

Al Jazeera is not the only network that has been attacked in Egypt. Following the clashes that erupted between pro-Morsi protesters of the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian Army security forces in Cairo in August, two notable press personalities were killed.

Mick Deane (61), a Sky News cameraman, was killed in Cairo as he recorded the wave of security forces attacking protesters. Ahmed Abd Elazi (22), a journalist for Dubai Paper, was also shot and killed, allegedly for not respecting the army-enforced curfew.

It is also alleged that, because they are facing a wave of international condemnation for the approach to a Muslim Brotherhood protest movement, Egypt's government opened a sustained broadside against Western journalists accusing them of ignoring facts and "biased coverage".

Several journalists have since been attacked on the streets of Cairo as they attempted to do their jobs.