A free voice is one of the foundations of democracy
and to grapple this would mean a false belief in the political ideal.
Unfortunately, Egypt would be one of the countries adopting a false belief in
democracy. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday ratified an
anti-terrorism law. It would heavily fine and suspend from employment false
reports on militant attacks.
The new law came after the Egyptian military lashed
out at the media after reporting that dozens of troops have been killed during
Sinai. The military's official death toll was 21 soldiers and more jihadists.
The number is negligible considering the achievement of the mission.
The fine is worth £200,000 pounds in Egypt for any
media who calls 'wolf' on terrorist attacks. The fines could reach more than £500,00
of the same value in the UK.
Critics said the very high fines will shut down
smaller Egyptian newspapers. Larger ones may be deterred from reporting attacks
and any military operations against militants.
The Egyptian government originally planned to give a
jail sentence for offenders. However, due to a backlash from Egyptian media,
they backed down. The law also allows courts to prevent the convicted from practising
his profession for more than one year. This did not mention whether it was
journalism or any profession in general.
