Egypt’s press union chief rejects pressure over detained journalists

The head of Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate has insisted the organisation will continue to fight for press freedom after it came under fire for defending six journalists who were detained last month and charged with joining a “terrorist” group. “What happens to one colleague affects us all, and may happen to others tomorrow,” Khaled Elbalshy said in a statement on Sunday. “An infringement of one journalist’s freedom is an infringement of everyone’s freedom and a weakening of the safeguards protecting that freedom.” His comments came after the syndicate filed a complaint with Egypt’s public prosecutor over allegations that the detained journalists, who work for the investigative website Matsadaash, had been tortured.