Final Straw for Al Jazeera in Egypt, Broadcaster Closes all Operations There

What wasn't realized when Al Jazeera journalist Abdullah Elshamy was released from prison on Tuesday was that by the end of the week his company's presence in Egypt would be gone altogether.

 

Four employees of the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera, talking anonymously to Buzzfeed, said a meeting was called yesterday when they were told they would receive a “compensation package” from now on, rather than a salary, that the office would be closing, and that they were looking for new jobs.

 

Since the Egyptian revolution in 2011, Al Jazeera's reporting from the country was praised for its in-depth coverage of the developments in the country. Its coverage was far more important for people in the region in breaking news than other media outlets.

However, since the military coup in Egypt last year, there has been a crackdown on anything related to the previous Muslim Brotherhood-led regime. One reason Al Jazeera has been targeted is the perception by the current regime in Egypt that the Qatari government is sympathetic to the Brotherhood, as well as ongoing coverage of the current regime.

Reporting from the Cairo bureau ceased in December last year when three Al Jazeera journalists — Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy, and Baher Mohammed — were arrested, but the office has continued to operate with the help of sympathetic allies.

In the past year many others working for the brand were detained or arrested, or fled the country altogether. The Al Jazeera offices were raided by authorities several times.

The verdict in the trial of the three journalists will be given on Monday.