(AFP Photo)
Two photographers have reported being assaulted during the violence at the Rabaa Al-Adaweya sit-in on Saturday, the latest in a string of incidents involving journalists covering protests.
Daily News Egypt photographer Halim El-Shaarani said he was photographing policemen firing teargas when an officer asked him what he was doing.
El-Shaarani said he told the poice officer: “I’m a journalist, and I’m doing my job just like you are.” El-Shaarani said the police officer then slapped him and hit him in the face with his camera. The officer then took his press identification card, mobile phone and gas mask, and detained him in a police vehicle.
El-Shaarani then spent several hours at the Second Nasr City Police Station before being released. The police returned his phone and camera, minus the pictures, but kept his ID card and gas mask, El-Shaarani said.
A freelance photographer at Daily News Egypt and Al-Borsa newspaper, who chose to remain anonymous, was also assaulted on Saturday. He said he was on Nasr Road during the clashes, taking pictures of “thugs”, who were shooting at Morsi supporters from police lines, when he was detained by three or four men who had seen him take their picture. The photographer said after negotiating with them so they returned his camera but took the camera’s memory card.
Al-Shorouk newspaper reporter Nada El-Kholy and Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reporter Menna Alaa were attacked covering protests on 20 July and 19 July respectively. Al-Jazeera cameraman Mohamed Badr was arrested on 15 July while covering clashes.
