Country
Egypt
Government actions against journalists in Egypt
RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Egypt is in Northern Africa, Africa. The record holds 4 incidents in which the government of Egypt, or an official, court or legislature there, limited journalists' ability to report.
Tactics used
- Detention and violence: 1 incident · ladder
- Official labels: 1 incident · ladder
- Funding and ownership pressure: 1 incident · ladder
- Licensing and closure of outlets: 1 incident · ladder
- Prior restraint: 1 incident · ladder
- Secrets and espionage laws: 1 incident · ladder
Heads of government at the time
Incidents by year
2019
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 March 2019 | Egypt: media law used to fine and block news site al-Mashhad | Official labels | Pressure | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi | Unknown (7 May 2019) |
2018
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2018 | Egypt: a license requirement leaves an independent news site unable to operate legally for years | Prior restraint | Pressure | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi | Ongoing (26 October 2020) |
2013
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 December 2013 | Egypt arrests and later convicts three Al Jazeera journalists on terrorism-related charges | Detention and violence | Punish | Adly Mansour | Reversed (23 September 2015) |
1960
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1960 | Egypt's Nasser government nationalizes every newspaper and magazine in the country | Funding and ownership pressure | Silence | Gamal Abdel Nasser | Ongoing (1 January 1989) |
Ladders: where each tactic has led · Timeline for Egypt · Africa