Egyptian Photojournalists Protest Police Abuse

On Sunday, which happened to be Egyptian National Police Day, photojournalists protested violence against journalists. 

"Hossam Diab, head of the League of Photojournalists — which
organized the protest — called for an investigation into the assaults on
photographers which took place during demonstrations against the Israeli attack
on Gaza," wrote Sarah Carr of the Daily News (http://thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=19331(
 


"In addition to demanding an end to all police violence
against photographers, Diab called for the cancellation of the system whereby
photographers are required by the interior ministry to obtain permits, which he
said is in violation of the Press Law."

Diab said that interior ministry officials referred to a hotline journalists can call when harassed, but Diab said that when he called the number, a junior police member said no one was there.

Photographers in Egypt are frequently harassed by security officials, particularly during protests, and have been injured in many instances. Egyptian and Arab photographers are usually under much more pressure than foreigners.