Egypt has moved up one position from 159th to 158th in Reporters Without Borders press freedom index which assesses the situation in 180 countries for 2014.
The status of press freedoms in Egypt is still worrying, however, according to the organization’s assessment for 2014, which it says relies on criteria that include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operate.
“Led by Field Marshal al-Sisi, the Egyptian authorities cite the need to combat terrorism as their grounds for systematically targeting media affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood or regarded as sympathetic to it,” the organization said in its report.
“At least 30 journalists were arbitrarily arrested in 2014 alone on charges of organizing or participating in demonstrations or supporting a terrorist organization. And the authorities continue to use spurious grounds for keeping them in detention. Although Egypt rose one position in the index, the curbs on freedom of information are as worrying as ever,” the report added.
In its 2013 assessment, the organization noted that at least nine journalists were killed in connection with their work, more than 50 have been injured and more than 200 have been arrested.
In the 2014, Finland maintained the top of the list in press freedoms for the fifth year, based on the index, followed by Norway and Denmark. Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea, in last place, were the worst performers.
