Ricard Gonzalez – the Egypt-based correspondent for Spain’s leading daily newspaper El Pais – has been “forced to leave the country against his will” after being advised that local authorities were looking to arrest him. In an interview with Daily News Egypt (DNE), Ricard Gonzalez expressed surprise at being personally targeted by the Egyptian state, but put it down to the largely critical editorial line El Pais has taken with regards to the government’s crackdown on human rights. “Two weeks ago I had to leave Egypt in a rush, the country that I have called home for almost four years” Gonzalez told DNE. “The Spanish authorities warned me that I was under imminent risk of being arrested and indicted, and they advised me not to go back to Cairo. “I have had contacts with the opposition, as have many of my colleagues. My newspaper, El Pais, has been very critical of the current regime in its editorials, and I have written several articles on the violations of human rights in the country, however so have other outlets.” Gonzalez has worked in Cairo since September 2011 for a number of outlets,…
