Journalist synidcate Around 200 journalists marched from the Journalists’ Syndicate to the Supreme Court in Downtown Cairo today in protests at attacks on 15 journalists covering the ongoing anti-SCAF protests. Upon reaching the court , protesters handed a formal complaint to the prosecutor-general against Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, Minister of Interior Mansour El-Essawy, the head of Cairo Security, the head of Alexandria security and several officers for their involvement in the attacks.
According to Gamal Abdel-Rahim, a member of the Syndicate Council Board, the prosecution has already begun questioning the attacked journalists. Security forces assaulted five journalists in Alexandria and ten in Cairo as they were attempting to cover the deadly clashes between protesters and security forces that have left at least 27 dead.
Abdel-Rahim says several journalists lost eyes, while others were shot with live ammunition. A journalist in Alexandria was stripped naked and tortured for five hours by police officers.
“These vicious attacks against journalists are worrying and signal a new trend where journalists are being specifically targeted,” Abdel-Rahim told Ahram Online. “Even during the Mubarak era, journalists were not treated this badly or singled out in this way. This is disturbing and must stop immediately. It’s obvious these attacks were an attempt to prevent journalists doing their job."
Head of the Journalists’ Syndicate Mamdouh Wali has threatened to halt the publication of all newspapers in protest at the recent attacks.