Egypt’s public prosecution announced on Monday new hotlines for citizens to report on ‘fake news and rumors’ published on media outlets and social media platforms that ‘aim to disrupt the nation’s security’. The complaints will be received through text messages and WhatsApp messages on the announced hotlines, according to a statement released by the office of the public prosecutor. The sent messages should contain all information available on the reported fake news. The statement of the public prosecution comes in light of multiple reports that have recently been published by foreign media outlets; Egyptian authorities have accused these outlets of spreading false news, not being impartial and having political motives. The BBC published a report on enforced disappearance, shedding light on several cases that have ‘forcibly disappeared. However, the State Information Service (SIS) said that the report had several professional violations. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, during a UN meeting, that foreign media publish fabricated news to achieve political motives. Egyptian authorities have repeatedly denied the presence of any enforced disappearance cases. Conversely, local and international rights groups confirm that Egypt has thousands of forcibly disappeared cases. Rights groups further…
Egyptian Authorities Urge Citizens to Report on ‘Fake News and Rumors’ Through a Hotline
March 14, 2018
