Egypt orders 4 TV channels closure

Al Jazeera Egypt and three other TV channels will be shut down following an order from an Egyptian court, reports the BBC.

Seven Al Jazeera employees were taken into custody last week and held for five days without charges. Authorities released four of them on Sunday.

The arrests came after Al Jazeera’s offices were raided and equipment was seized by Egyptian authorities.

The administrative court ruling Tuesday includes the Ahrar 25 network operated by the Brotherhood, as well as the pro-Islamist Al-Quds and Al-Yarmuk channels.

Aljazeera reported the court had placed restrictions on it and said Aljazeera was “broadcasting without a license.”

Three satellite channels banned by the court Tuesday have been off the air since former President Mohamed Morsi was ousted on July 3.

Officials of Egypt’s military-installed interim government have complained Aljazeera and several other media organizations have been broadcasting “biased” information.”

Still, the Egyptian public and many government officials continue to call for increased restrictions against some media organizations, which are finding it increasingly dangerous to report from the streets.