The Ministry of Interior challenged on Wednesday the authenticity of a video published on Rassd News Network (RNN) showing security forces attacking detainees.
In an official statement released on Wednesday, the ministry described the video as “fabricated” and “baseless”, adding that it was examined by the ministry’s media centre, which asserted that the whole clip was fake.
“Such videos are part of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood’s plots to create strife and rifts between citizens and policemen,” the ministry’s statement read.
RNN meanwhile stated that the network did not exclusively publish the video and that it had circulated throughout social media.
“Nobody could question the technical authenticity of this video,” the network said in a news report published on Wednesday. “The video shows the assaulted detainees meeting during their entrance into detention facility, an exercise practiced since the establishment of the Egyptian prison system.”
RNN stated that ruling authorities have never stopped denying the network’s news reports since its establishment. It claimed that since its launch, it has never published a single fabricated photo or video.
The network has published a series of videos and audio recordings for Defence Minister Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi which it dubbed as “Al-Sisi leaks”. The authenticity of the material provided in the series, usually featuring Al-Sisi making controversial statements, has often been questioned.
RNN was launched at the start of the January 2011 uprising to report on protests and marches. It is one of the few Egyptian media outlets that recognise the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi on 3 July as a “military coup”. The network has frequently been accused of being closely affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
