Egypt's top TV satirist suspended after poking fun at General Sisi
- 11 years ago
Egypt’s top political comedy show al-Bernameg has been pulled off the air a week after poking fun at the military chief who ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July.
Satirist Bassem Youssef’s criticism of General Sisi was mild compred to previous jokes he aimed at Mursi. In March, Youssef was arrested for insulting Islam and insulting the president.
The move is likely to raise further questions about authorities’ commitment to freedom. Egypt is stumbling in its political transition since Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising in 2011.
Political tensions are running high in Egypt. On Monday, Mursi and 14 other senior Muslim Brotherhood figures will face trial on charges of inciting violence.
Meanwhile, several hundred Islamists protested in Cairo and other Egyptian cities. They were responding to a call for daily protests until Mursi’s trial.
Critics of the military say it is tightening its grip on power and returning the country to Mubarak’s era of iron-fisted rule, an allegation it denies.
Satirist Bassem Youssef’s criticism of General Sisi was mild compred to previous jokes he aimed at Mursi. In March, Youssef was arrested for insulting Islam and insulting the president.
The move is likely to raise further questions about authorities’ commitment to freedom. Egypt is stumbling in its political transition since Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising in 2011.
Political tensions are running high in Egypt. On Monday, Mursi and 14 other senior Muslim Brotherhood figures will face trial on charges of inciting violence.
Meanwhile, several hundred Islamists protested in Cairo and other Egyptian cities. They were responding to a call for daily protests until Mursi’s trial.
Critics of the military say it is tightening its grip on power and returning the country to Mubarak’s era of iron-fisted rule, an allegation it denies.