By DPA,
New York: An Egyptian journalist died Friday of a gunshot wound suffered while covering unrest a week ago in Cairo, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
Ahmad Mohamed Mahmoud, who was working for the newspaper al-Ta’awun, was hit by what the newspaper described as sniper fire while filming a confrontation between security forces and protesters Jan 28 near Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
His death Friday was the first by a journalist covering the unrest in Egypt, according to CPJ, a New York-based non-governmental organization.
Numerous journalists from around the world have been detained or assaulted while covering the protests in Egypt, with the rate of incidents targetting media soaring since Thursday.
“It is stupefying that the government continues to send out thugs and plainclothes police to attack journalists and to ransack media bureaus,” said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator.
As the unprecedented campaign against media continues, the Egyptian government has made its intentions abundantly clear: silence as many journalists as possible no matter the political cost.