Dina Abdel Fattah: Promoting Egypt's activists

Egypt's General Prosecution has summoned broadcaster Dina Abdel Fattah and journalist Khairi Hassan for questioning, amid claims they used their media positions to “promote” the activist Black Bloc. Abdel Fattah, host and editor of the political talkshow The People Want, and Hassan, a producer at the show and journalist at Akhbar al-Youm, will be questioned in connection with a complaint accusing them of promoting and backing terrorism for hosting members of the Black Bloc protest group in an episode of the programme. The episode was recently discussed in Egypt's Shura Council, the country's upper and current only chamber of parliament. Some Shura members claimed the episode promoted terrorism and amounted to threatening public order and inciting vandalism of state property. They said they would lodge an official complaint with the Prosecutor General, Talaat Abdallah, who has since received 238 complaints on the same subject. In response, a number of human rights organisations and media and press unions have declared solidarity with the broadcaster, while a number of lawyers volunteered to defend her against the charges.