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CAIRO – The Egyptian parliament passed three controversial bills regulating the press and the media.
Bills, which got the parliament's approval on Monday, will also regulate the Supreme Council for Regulatory Media, the National Press Authority and the National Media Authority.
Bills still have to be approved by President, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, before they can become laws. 19659007] Prominent journalists denounced them as unconstitutional and in violation of the fundamental freedoms of the press, claiming that they grant extensive powers to the authorities to censor the press, revoke media licenses and restrict the work of journalists.
Yahia Kalash, said on Facebook that it was a "sad day" for the press.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Egypt as the 161st out of 180 countries on their 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
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