Egypt's top state prosecutor has ordered his staff to closely monitor all news and social media outlets and take action against any they deem to be "hurting national interests."
In a statement issued Wednesday, Egypt's Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek said the order comes "in light of recently observed attempts by the 'forces of evil' to undermine the security and safety of the country through publishing lies and fake news through different media outlets and social media."
Prosecutors should take legal action against media outlets that disseminate "false news, statements or rumors" that could instill "terror" in society, hurt the public interest or disrupt peace. Media regulatory bodies must notify prosecutors of violations by media outlets," the statement said.
Sadek's directive is part of a larger government crackdown on the media ahead of scheduled presidential elections next month in which President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is running virtually unopposed.
The U.S.-based journalism watchdog group, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), asked Egypt to "immediately cease their intimidation campaign against independent news outlets, and let journalists report freely."
The order comes as the government is demanding that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) retract a story aired over the weekend that mentioned the case of a mother who claimed her daughter was the victim of state enforced disappearance. The young woman appeared Monday on a local TV station to refute her mother's claims.
Egypt’s State Information Service, which regulates foreign media in the country, has called on the BBC to retract its story or face a government boycott.
BBC is standing by its reporting.
埃及检察长沙戴克指令下属严密监控所有资讯和社交媒体，对“有损国家利益”的媒体采取行动。
沙戴克星期三发表声明说，发布这一指令的原因是最近发现，有“邪恶势力”企图借助各种媒体渠道和社交媒体，通过发布谎言和假资讯，削弱国家安全。
声明说，检察官们应该对那些散布“假资讯、声明或谣言”，在社会中制造“恐慌”，伤害公共利益或破坏和平的媒体机构采取法律行动。媒体监督机构也必须将媒体违规现象报告给检察机关。
沙戴克的最新指令是埃及政府在下个月总统大选前打压媒体的行动之一。在即将举行的选举中，现任总统塞西几乎没有竞选对手。
总部设在美国的资讯自由监督团体，保护记者委员会要求埃及“立即停止对独立资讯机构的恐吓行动，允许记者自由报道。”
沙戴克发表这一指令前，埃及政府刚刚要求英国广播公司撤回上周末的一条报道。在报道中，一位母亲说自己的女儿被国家强制失踪。她的女儿星期一在一家地方电视台上露面，否认了母亲的指称。
埃及负责监管外媒的机构要求英国广播公司撤回报道，否则就要受到政府抵制。
英国广播公司坚持报道内容。