GENEVA: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry condemned what he described as ” media fabrication” on the human rights situation in Egypt, in a clear reference to a recent BBC report that has sparked controversy.
Shoukry said “Egypt is keen every year to inform the international Human Rights Council about its achievements in promoting democracy and the rule of law” during his speech to the high-level segment of the 37th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva.
But the minister criticized the performance of media which he described as “lacking professionalism” and “circulates news based on fabricated sources like the BBC’s report which was published last week on Egypt,” a report by Al-Masry el-Youm has said.
Last week, a flare-up erupted between Egypt and the BBC after the British broadcaster aired a report that interviewed a woman who claimed that her daughter had been forcibly disappeared and tortured by Egyptian authorities.
The daughter was then interviewed on a nightly talk show days later where she denied the claim.
Egypt’s government press center said the BBC report was“fraught with lies” and demanded the British broadcaster to apologize over the report.
Also, the country’s proecsution ordered the arrest of the woman interviewed by the BBC for “spreading false news.”
Meanwhile, the BBC said:“We are aware of the reports about this BBC story on Egyptian TV and of the comments of the head of the State Information Service. We stand by the integrity of our reporting teams.”
