Egypt Protests: Journalists Beaten, Arrested By Police

As unprecedented protests rock Egypt, journalists are apparently being targeted by Egyptian police.

Assad Sawey, a reporter for BBC Arabic, was beaten and bloodied by the police. He managed to make it in front of the BBC's cameras, bandaged and still drenched in his own blood, to tell the story of what happened to him.

He said he was watching a protest of 15,000 people when plainclothes police surrounded him and his camera crew. "They didn't care about BBC or any other organization, " he said. "They were targeting journalists."

They arrested Sawey, and beat him with steel bars and ones he said were electrified. The police were, he said, "very very brutal."

Watch Sawey describe the beating to CNN:

The Committee To Protect Journalists also reports that Ahmad Mansour, a journalist for Al-Jazeera, was detained for over an hour, and that several journalists were prevented from entering Egypt through Cairo's airport. In addition, four French journalists were reportedly arrested by police.

Another journalist, CNN's Ben Wedeman, saw Egyptian police take the camera of the photojournalist he was with.

According to Wedeman, who told the story of the confrontation on CNN Friday morning, the police grabbed a camera from his fellow journalist, Mary Rogers, cracked the camera's viewfinder and took it away.

WATCH:

Comments

[Sergeant]

08:25 PM on 01/31/2011

Freedom of the press is the nonviolent weapon of the people. And there are some who would, if they could, restrict it right here in the US.

[MikeWebster]

02:05 AM on 01/31/2011

The Egyptian police have a horrible reputation, and are one of the key grievances that are being protested against in these marches.

[StopThePlanet]

10:48 AM on 01/30/2011

Bet you won't see one Fox correspondent put themself in harm's way to get a story. 

[Slash14]

03:20 PM on 01/30/2011

Get a grip they do it all the time. You really got to get out of the MSNBC-NPR shell a little bit

[StopThePlanet]

07:35 PM on 01/30/2011

Got a link to any footage?

[Sergeant]

08:26 PM on 01/31/2011

Who cares? You? Fox has the freedom to broadcast anything they want. Given the chance, I am sure some of the "progressives" would interfere with that freedom of expression just because they disagree.

[StopThePlanet]

08:40 PM on 01/31/2011

Anyone who interferes with freedom of expression cannot be called a progressive.

[Slash14]

08:27 AM on 01/30/2011

Why are we fed stories about the media.It is not about them. It is about the Egyptian people. The media needs to get over itself

[StopThePlanet]

10:51 AM on 01/30/2011

Actually it is important.  Without journalists, the story of what is happening there does not reach as wide of a world audience.  Since we don't have real war correspondents in this country anymore I can see why you might not recognize their significance.  Fox can make up all the lies they want from the comfort of their studios.

[Klous]

10:54 AM on 01/30/2011

We are at war with Egypt? I knew Bush wanted his own pyramid. Twit

[Slash14]

03:13 PM on 01/30/2011

Reporting on the Egyptian struggle is IMPORTANT. The media talking about itself is not important.

[AbstractImp]

08:11 AM on 01/30/2011

Yes, do not forget that this 'government' uses torture.
This was one of those extraordinary destinations
Condoleeza had for her extraordinary renditions.

[Christopher Koulouris]

07:32 AM on 01/30/2011

Ultimately what is at stake is the citizen’s of the mid east ability to garner some economic prosperity and mobility and quash the oppressive divide that has worked to date to engender US and entrenched mid east’s interests. But from the US’s point of view what is really at stake is their ability to retain US hegemony and the sale of a McDonald’s sponsored cheese burger at some future date. How the US reacts to EGYPT will be unconditionally tempered by this fact.

http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2011/01/us-hegemony-and-the-crises-called-egypt/

[fairwayhill]

06:37 AM on 01/30/2011

Go Egypt ! throw away the US supported dictatorsh­­­ip of Mubarak, open the border with Gaza, and cut out the 2ionists from the Suez CanaI !

[Sergeant]

09:01 PM on 01/31/2011

The reason Egypt has been so quiet and nonconfrontational is that historically under Nassar they got their {United Arab Republic] collective a**es kicked by Israel.

[fairwayhill]

06:36 AM on 01/30/2011

Hopefully Jordan and Saudi Arabia will be next to overthrow their US supported dictatorsh­­­ips.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

08:01 AM on 01/30/2011

If only... but it will never happen. too much greed and religion controls the region.

[Slash14]

08:23 AM on 01/30/2011

So would you prefer dictatorships that are anti US? Just wondering.

[InTheMorning]

02:26 PM on 01/30/2011

Actually I'd rather my country not form alliances with dictators for the sole reason to push their agenda in Israel. A dictator is a dictator is a dictator.

[MikeWebster]

02:08 AM on 01/31/2011

She was talking about US supported dictatorships - not dictatorships that support the US.

The US shows a hypocritical double standard by supporting dictatorships of any kind. The hypocracy is only made worse by the fact thay the US has often been involved in creating the democracies by toppling democratically elected Governments. That is not the case for Egypt though.

[Genevieve Long]

05:37 AM on 01/30/2011

The work these journalists have been doing in Egypt, both foreign and domestic, is commendable. Especially those who cannot leave the country because they are Egyptian--they should be commended for the work they are doing. http://mediaforeignpolicy.foreignpolicyblogs.com/

[hottingers]

05:13 AM on 01/30/2011

Shock like an Egyptian.

[Klous]

10:55 AM on 01/30/2011

Ha Ha that was funny. Stupid video is playing in my head now thanks.

[noretreatnosurrender]

02:42 AM on 01/30/2011

There's no such thing as a journalist or reporter.
The correct description should be propagandist.

[Hareega]

01:32 AM on 01/30/2011

They're treating foreign journalists as if they're Egyptian journalists

[StopThePlanet]

10:52 AM on 01/30/2011

They will persecute anyone who is perceived to be fueling/aiding the protests.  They especially don't want a credible news organization broadcasting the suppression of dissent.

[bub26]

01:27 AM on 01/30/2011

not a drop on his sleeves. must of been wearing a jacket?

[Slash14]

08:29 AM on 01/30/2011

Maybe it was staged for ratings, or maybe they made their own story because the are to lazy or scared to go out in the streets

[cccoyote]

12:36 AM on 01/30/2011

Journalists are targeted for two reasons. First for reporting. Second, they all have satellite links to expedite broadcasting. The tycoons of Egypt want this hushed.
Likewise, our Administration would prefer this be silenced.

http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/162581.html

"U.S. companies are involved in providing technology that helps the Egyptian government to crack down on communications and monitor protestors on the Internet and mobile phones ...

A U.S. company appears to have sold Egypt technology to monitor Internet and mobile phone traffic that is possibly being used by the ruling regime to crack down on communications as protests erupt throughout the country.

Boeing-owned, California-based company Narus sold Telecom Egypt, the state-run Internet service provider, "real-time traffic intelligence" equipment, more commonly known as Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology. Common Dreams

When commercial network operators use DPI, the privacy of Internet users is compromised. But in government hands, the use of DPI can crush dissent and lead to human rights violations."

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

08:03 AM on 01/30/2011

Oh that's nice. Our government doing everything they can to squash their attempts at an uprising..... as usual, supporting the wrong side.

It's so embarassing to be an American these days...it really is.

[Slash14]

08:24 AM on 01/30/2011

Good the leave the country and go live somewhere else

[Havana Thinks]

07:55 AM on 01/31/2011

The point will be made it is in the interest of preventing 'tear or izs' from infiltrating the museums and looting artifacts, etc. Noone will admit it is against freedom of the press or the right to assembly because that would support allowing the film to quickly be sent all over the world and expose the perps. You would realize and recognize who the people were and be able to prosecute them, that is, if the judges have not all gone to China!

[proshot22]

11:00 PM on 01/29/2011

Who hasn't wanted to cattle prod a BBC reporter? Have you seen their coverage recently? I thought the Brits like that sort of thing, tea, cucumber sandwiches, and prods.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

08:05 AM on 01/30/2011

True......and their reporting is similar to US "reporters".....to spread propaganda. It's just spitting out what they're told to say.