SIS delivers official protest over BBC report on enforced disappearance

Chairman of the State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan on Tuesday handed over an official protest to head of the BBC’s Cairo Bureau Safaa Faisal over a BBC report aired in English on February 24 and 25, including huge professional mistakes on alleged torture of opponents and cases of enforced disappearances in Egypt.

An Egyptian woman called Zubeida Ibramin, who was mentioned in the report as one of the cases of enforced disappearances, appeared later in a daily Egyptian TV show, presenting herself in a family atmosphere to refute the BBC claims.

SIS reaffirms its position demanding an appropriate apology from the BBC due to the false allegations included in the report, which amounts to counterfeiting and falsification, Rashwan told Faisal during their meeting.

He called on the BBC to deal seriously and promptly with its remarks on the entire report, and to take all necessary professional and administrative measures to rectify its errors, he added.

A copy of the letter of protest was also sent to the BBC HQs in London via SIS’s information office at the Egyptian Embassy there, as well as the BBC’s official website in accordance with the relevant legal rules.

For her part, Faisal lauded the “constructive dialogue” conducted between the SIS and BBC’s senior officials immediately following the broadcast of the report.

She hailed previous remarks made by Rashwan, affirming that freedom of media and access to information were guaranteed to all foreign media accredited in Egypt, including the BBC according to internationally recognized rules.

The BBC considers very seriously all the points included in this protest, Faisal said, adding that they are being reviewed and will be answered at the earliest opportunity. (MENA)