(MENAFN) (MENAFN) A British journalist has been arrested and departed from Egypt as part of an escalating crackdown on media ahead of this month's presidential elections.
Saturday's statement by The Times newspaper in London said that Bel Trew had been detained and faced "sufficiently outlandish" threats before she was expelled in late February.
The British daily says attempts to bring about Trew's safe return to Cairo to cover the elections have been made but to no avail.
Trew says she had been listed as a persona non-grata and that Cairo authorities threatened to re-arrest her if she attempts to return.
Local and international rights groups condemned Egypt's presidential elections last week, saying the race would neither be free nor fair.
Politicians say that the Egyptian authorities have manipulated the upcoming elections to guarantee a win for Al-Sisi, who now faces only an obscure politician who supports him as an adversary. But the country's electoral commission has pledged to run the vote "according to principles of independence, transparency and objectivity."
MENAFN2403201800450000ID1096648326
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.