Egyptian police raided the office of a news website late last night and arrested its editor-in-chief, including its managing editor. According to three of its journalists, the raid came two days after the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, an official oversight body, told the website, Masr al-Arabia, to pay 2,849 Dollars, as a fine for republishing a New York Times article on alleged irregularities during last week’s presidential election.
Two journalists at the website quoted the site’s lawyers as saying that police said they had acted because the website did not have a permit to operate. The journalists said the raid was prompted by the republishing of the New York Times article.
A statement from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, which was based on a complaint from the national election authority, on Sunday, accused the website of publishing false news.
The Council statement said, the website should have checked the authenticity of the news or commented on it with an opinion referring to the New York Times article, which said some voters were offered payments and other inducements to vote.
