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Egypt has banned 62 websites since it began a crackdown on online media on June 1, according to a local rights group.
The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, which has been tracking affected sites since May 24, said on Monday that the blocked list included licensed local news outlets, thus describing the move as a “clear attack on the media.”
Egypt blocked access to 21 websites, including Qatari news network Al jazeera and Islamist-affiliated platforms, following similar moves by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Egypt has also blocked the independent Cairo-based Mada Masr.
At the time, anonymous security sources told local media that all websites blocked contain material that “support terrorism and extremism as well as publish lies.”
However, the list expanded later on to include more independent and opposition news websites including the opposition El-Badil.
“The blocking of websites violates the Egyptian Constitution,” the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression said in a statement.
It accused the government of failing to disclose any judicial or administrative decision to block the 62 sites.
Egypt declared a state of emergency for three months in April, following a twin attack on churches that killed almost 50 people.
The emergency law grants the president special powers, which include: censoring and confiscating publications; monitoring and intercepting all forms of communication; closing any facility; and imposing restrictions on the freedom of movement for any citizen