Egypt military extends reporter's arrest amid criticism

Egyptian military prosecutor extends detention of journalist Hossam Bahgat as human rights groups demand his release.

The Egyptian military prosecutor has extended the detention of prominent journalist and human rights advocate Hossam Bahgat for an additional four days, as rights groups across the world call for his immediate release.

Bahgat, who was arrested on Sunday after first receiving a summons order four days earlier, is being held at an unknown location, his lawyers and rights groups said on Monday.

In effect, his detention can be extended an unlimited number of times by four to 15-day intervals. 

The military prosecutor has filed charges against Bahgat for spreading "false news", ostensibly stemming from an investigative report he published at Mada Masr in October. 

In that article, Bahgat examined what he called the secret military trial of 26 army officers reportedly plotting a coup. 

If found guilty, Bahgat could face up to five years in prison.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based press freedom watchdog, called for the reporter to be released immediately. 

Yasmin el-Rifae, the CPJ's research associate for the Middle East and North Africa, said that Bahgat is one of at least 20 Egyptian journalists currently behind bars.

"This is a record high," she told Al Jazeera. 

Since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power after the 2013 ouster of democratically elected Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian authorities have cracked down on journalists and press workers.

I found that the article was not very biased towards anyone, because it just told the facts straight and clear without any obvious preference on the case. I’m curious as to why this man would have risked at least five years of his life in prison and passed false testimony and facts, so I'm a bit biased towards the journalist Hossam Baghat because I kind of get this feeling that he was bold and a lot of people are turning against the government for taking him in, so he must have had good reasoning and there's some chance that he wasn't bluffing about the military officials repeatedly plotting a coup. I hope that the Egyptian government is able to see what is right and is able to act and judge accordingly without putting anyone's life in jeopardy through their decisions.

Strickland, Patrick. 09 Nov 2015. "Egypt military extends reporter's arrest amid criticism." Al Jazeera. 10 Nov 2015. From <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/egypt-military-extends-reporter-arrest-criticism-151109174042878.html>