Egypt: Gag tightens on media ahead of elections

Media watchdogs see the "invisible hand" of the ruling party behind a string of firings and resignations that have removed some of Egypt's most prominent government critics from their soapboxes just weeks before parliamentary elections. "Oblique threats and backroom deals that are not visibly linked to the government have started silencing some of Egypt's most critical independent voices," says Mohamed Abdel Dayem, Middle East and North Africa program coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Earlier this month, the new owners of Al-Dostour newspaper gave its maverick editor his marching orders. Ibrahim Eissa, an outspoken critic of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, had stewarded the independent newspaper through its establishment in 1995 to its closure by authorities in 1998 and its re-launch in 2005. Eissa's adversarial brand of journalism brazenly overstepped red lines, and made the 46-year-old dissident a primary target of the regime. Over the last 15 years, Eissa has had to defend himself against state-orchestrated smear campaigns and at least 65 lawsuits for alleged violations of the country's draconian press laws. Eissa was sacked less than 24 hours after Al-Dostour's transfer of ownership was finalized. Al-Wafd Party chairman Sayed El-Badawi, one of the new owners, said in a press conference that he fired Eissa for "administrative reasons" following a labor dispute concerning staff salaries and the deduction of taxes.