Watchdog wants journalists protected in Cairo

Feb 3, 2011 13:36 Moscow Time

Egypt. Photo: EPA

The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent organization based in New York, has called on Egyptian authorities to provide protection for reporters covering the events in Cairo.

The call followed a string of assaults on foreign mediamen, among them Russia Today correspondents who found themselves in the epicenter of clashes between supporters and opponents of President Hosni Mubarak. One RT reporter sustained injuries.

Correspondents of another Russian TV channel, Zvezda, were detained in Cairo on February 1 but have already been released.

Reporters and cameramen of the ABC, CNN, Al Arabiya and Associated TV channels and crews from Belgium and Finland were also attacked during the protests.