Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Foreign media call on Egypt to free journalists
This article talks about three Egyptian journalists who were arrested on suspicion of working with the Muslim Brotherhood. The journalists, who work for Al- Jazeera English, were arrested when the Egyptian government raided there offices. The government claims that one of the journalists were allowing the brotherhood to hold meetings in his hotel room. Over 50 news organizations have demanded the release of the journalists. I hope this doesn't mean Egypt is becoming a totalitarian state, especially after the success of kicking Mubarak out of power after so many years.
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I don't really know how I feel about this article. While I think it is important to crack down on terrorism, I don't know if Egypt is doing it in a way that is beneficial to all parties. I really hope Egypt does what is best for it's people and if these people are innocent like many other news organizations think, they should release their prisoners.
ReplyDeleteI think that, although it is vitally important to protect against terrorism, this seems like suspicious circumstances. Especially considering the break-ins of other Al-Jazeera offices in Egypt. I hope that this issue is resolved quickly, Egypt is able to keep some honest reporting without the government stopping it.
ReplyDeleteI can see why this news has become so popular lately. National security is a big issue. If a country feels as though it is in some sort of danger, than it should stop the problem before anything escapades out of proportion. However, based on what I have read I can easily see why so many people want the three to be released. All it takes is a suspicion from the government to be arrested.
ReplyDeleteIf these journalists truly were involved with terrorism than the Egyptian government has every right to detain them, but until that is or is not proven, the journalists should be treated fairly and given a trial. The circumstances do however seem to be suspicious, and the fact that so many major news networks are supporting the release of the journalists indicates the Egyptian government's claims are most likely false.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Egypt has every right to question anyone who they think could possibly be working for a terrorist organization, but then when they found no proof of any connection they should have been immediately released. However, I think the arrest of these journalists was meant as more of a warning to any other journalists who are actually working for terrorist organizations that the Egyptian government is getting more strict in protecting against terrorism.
ReplyDeleteIf this many major news networks are supporting the release of the journalists and there is no strong evidence of them working under the Muslim Brotherhood, I don't think there should be any question that they should be let go immediately. I understand that Egypt wants to crackdown on terrorist activity, because they have every right to just like any other country. They can't, however, detain three journalists for just doing their jobs.
ReplyDeleteThis definitely seems like a setback in their efforts to stabilize their new government. "The arrest of these journalists has cast a cloud over press and media freedom in Egypt.” And it most certainly has—like Christina said, without any evidence linking them, they should have been released, even if it does send some signal to other terrorist organizations. If there is a real threat, then they should use that to demonstrate to everyone that they are cracking down.
ReplyDeleteI understand the need for countries to make the necessary protections against terrorism, but in this case it seems to me that the issue is a little more complicated because there is no proof that the journalists were doing anything wrong. These journalists should get a fair trial. If they do not, I can only imagine that there will be a huge international outcry.
ReplyDeleteSince there is no strong evidence of these three journalists working with the Muslim Brotherhood, I believe they should be released. I completely understand the fear of terrorism and wanting to prevent against it, but it's possible that these men are innocent. I hope Egypt can resolve this controversy quickly.
ReplyDeleteThe country of Egypt should release the journalists. The longer they hold them in captivity without sufficient evidence the worse the nation looks. Their national security is important, no doubt, but making their people feel safe is as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ian, that national security-and the lengths a government is willing to go to to protect it- is a big topic right now. I also agree with Christiana that the Egyptian government could be using this incident as a message that they will be strong on terrorism. However, having little proof, the Egyptian government will most likely be forced to release them, especially due to the pressure of the 50 news organizations around the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lydia. I feel like the Egyptian government does not have substantial evidence against the journalists. And keeping the journalists for a month for interrogation seems a bit long, and unfair to the journalists, even if they were accused of terrorism
ReplyDeleteThis article is very intriguing because I can see both sides of the argument. Obviously national security is the number one concern here and terrorism is one of the biggest threats to that. But there isn't a ton of proof to convict these journalist of anything. I guess sometimes you would rather be safe than sorry.
ReplyDeleteEgypt needs to release these journalists. There is no need to be holding them without a good and sufficient reason to do so, and Egypt just looks worse as a country by continuing to hold them. I think the country should consider releasing the journalists, especially since it is receiving pressure from 50 news outlets and it doesn't look good to hold the three without a good reason.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to forget that the rest of the world does not share the same rights to freedom of the press as we have here in the states. If Egypt continues to remain unyeilding, a hostage rescue operation is absolutely justified.
ReplyDeleteYes, we definitely need a covert, Seal Team-7, operation.
DeleteI would say that the reporters should be released and that the Egyptian government needs to accept media scrutiny. If the Egyptian government can accept media scrutiny, then it will be less likely to oppress its people and it would allow the media to act as a "watchdog".
ReplyDeleteThis is tough because yes, terrorism is a big threat and it concerns many nations. In this case, I don't feel the Egyptian government has enough evidence to support keeping these journalists locked up, though. Issues like these are complicated, I guess as Tim said it's better to be safe then sorry.
ReplyDeleteI understand the need to be extra safe especially against the threat of terrorism. However, I think it is also important to be able to justify keeping these journalists locked up. Since the Egyptian government doesn't have enough evidence I think they need to let them go.
ReplyDeleteI think that regardles of affiliation, journalists should never be taken prisoner. People's voices need to be able to be heard, and locking them up is a sign of weakness more than anything. I really think that the media should try to do all it can to free these individuals.
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