CAIRO — A fierce battle took place between the Ministry of Interior and the Journalists Union following the detention of journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud al-Sakka in May of this year on charges of inciting the public to take to the streets following the so-called Tiran and Sanafir crisis. Egypt ceded control of the two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia in a deal that drew widespread public criticism.
The journalists accused the security forces of using excessive force when storming the union, where they arrested Badr and Sakka as they were seeking shelter in the union’s headquarters. On the other side, however, some accused the Journalists Union of disrespecting the law and harboring wanted individuals, which is the charge against union head Yahia Qalash and two board members. Following Badr’s release late last month, Al-Monitor interviewed him to discuss his imprisonment and to get his response to claims that his release was the outcome of a political deal with the regime. In addition, Badr spoke about his evaluation of freedoms in Egypt and how the state deals with this matter.
