Authorities are investigating allegations of an assault on Khaled Salah, editor-in-chief of the independent Youm7 newspaper, who says he was attacked on Wednesday by demonstrators protesting “media corruption” in front of Media Production City.
Demonstrators had gathered Wednesday night to demand the closure of the Al-Faraeen satellite channel that is owned by controversial TV host Tawfiq Okasha. The channel often airs content that condemns the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsy.
In his testimony, Salah said supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood assaulted him and smashed his car on during the demonstrations on Wednesday. He accused Essam al-Erian of the Freedom and Justice Party of inciting the assault.
Security forces have cordoned off the area to avoid further clashes.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the demonstrators did assult Salah but did not attempt to storm into the Media Production City.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Mahmoud Ghazlan accused Salah of deliberately trying to tarnish the image of the group. Ghazlan claimed a number of political forces, led by former members of the dissolved National Democratic Party, the secularists and the leftist, have been working to discredit the Brotherhood and the president.
“We are a civilized group and we do not do such things,” he said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
