Al Jazeera on Thursday demanded the release of its staff members detained overnight in its Cairo, Egypt bureau.
Twenty-eight of the media network’s staff members were detained and the bureau’s broadcast equipment seized by Egyptian forces in a raid, according to a press release. While most of the staff members detained were released, the channel’s managing director Ayman Gaballah and broadcast engineer Ahmad Hasan remain in custody.
“Ayman and Ahmad must be released unharmed immediately,” the acting director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, Mostefa Souag, said in the press release. “We are seeking urgent clarity on the status of other members of our staff. Media offices should not be subject to raids, and journalists should not be detained for informing the public.”
“There are big events taking place in Egypt and the world tunes in to Al Jazeera at times like these. The viewing public will not accept being cut-off from news and information. Regardless of political views, the Egyptian people expect media freedoms to be respected and upheld.”
