Egypt: Media closures

The authorities have moved against the television channels it deems to be supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. A court in Cairo ordered the closure of four television stations, including the Brotherhood's Ahrar 25 TV, Al-Jazeera's Egyptian affiliate Mubasher Misr, Al-Quds, and Al-Yarmouk saying they were operating illegally.

 

Three journalists from Al-Jazeera English were deported.

 

From the outset of the revolt by young Arabs against their rulers in 2011, Al-Jazeera has provided the most comprehensive coverage of this widespread popular movement. Their Qatari owners firmly took the side of the street, to the dismay of ruling families and entrenched regimes across the region. They further have supported the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hamas in the Gaza strip - and that support has now cost them access in Cairo.

 

The first step towards the proscribing of the Brotherhood as an organisation came when the State Commissioners Authority, a body that advises the government on legal issues, recommended its dissolution. It also called for the group's national headquarters in Moqattam to be closed. The recommendations were made in accordance with Law 84 of 2002, which prohibits non-government organisations and institutions from forming paramilitary groups. This particular charge came after an attack on the party's headquarters -which the interior ministry had warned it would not protect - and the actions of pro-Morsi supporters to protect themselves.

The State Commissioners Authority can only advise the government but it is likely that a similar measure will be invoked to ban the Brotherhood.

 

For more news and expert analysis about Egypt, please see Egypt Politics & Security.

 

© 2013 Menas Associates

Libya: NTC leader sacks cabinet

According to the latest news reports from Libya, Leader of the National Transitional Council (NTC) Mustafa Abdel Jalil has dismissed his executive committee, equivalent of a ministerial cabinet. The move is thought to have been prompted by the killing of rebel military chief Gen Abdel Fattah Younes.

There has been speculation among the rebels that an allied Islamist faction may be responsible for his death. A member of the NTC Abdel-Hafiz Ghoga told Al-Jazeera there had been "shortcomings" in the way some members of the Council had dealt with the matter.

The Associated Press quoted another member of the NTC, Fathi Turbel, as saying it was clear the re-shuffle was needed after the "military, security and media incompetence" following Younes' death.

An NTC spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah told Reuters the re-shuffle was a sign of "the maturing of the revolution, holding people responsible…It's healthy. The NTC is still the highest authority”.

Jibril is now expected to form a new cabinet forthwith. It is thought that he may reappoint some of his ministers.

Younes defected from Colonel Mu'ammar Qadhafi's regime in February after serving the Leader since the 1969 coup, which brought him to power. His body, along with those of his two aides, was discovered on the outskirts of Benghazi on 28th July, after he had been recalled to give evidence on the on-going fight against Qadhafi. The exact circumstances of his death are unclear, and the killers are yet to be apprehended, but senior members of his tribe have demanded a full investigation.

Sources: BBC News, Al-Jazeera, AP, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.