NOVANEWS
FILE – In this Saturday Dec. 8, 2012 file photo, Egyptian TV host Bassem Youssef addresses attendants at a gala dinner party in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt’s state news agency said Saturday, March 30, 2013 that the public prosecution office has issued an arrest warrant against a popular TV satirist for allegedly insulting Islam and the country’s president. The warrant issued Saturday is the latest in a series of legal action against Youssef, known as Egypt’s Jon Stewart. The warrant comes amid a widening crackdown against opposition figures, driving fears over freedoms of expression and assembly. (AP Photo/Ahmed Omar, File)
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s official news agency says state prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for a popular TV satirist for allegedly insulting Islam and the country’s president.
The warrant issued Saturday is the latest in a series of legal actions against Bassem Youssef, known as Egypt’s Jon Stewart.
Youssef’s widely-watched weekly show has become a platform for parodying the government, opposition, media and clerics.
The comedian has faced a number of lawsuits in the past accusing him of insulting Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, and “corrupting morals.”
One of Youssef’s attorneys, Gamal Eid, said this is the first time an arrest warrant has been issued for Youssef, however.
The warrant comes amid what the opposition says is a widening government crackdown against its ranks, fueling concerns about freedoms of expression and assembly.
The warrant issued Saturday is the latest in a series of legal actions against Bassem Youssef, known as Egypt’s Jon Stewart.
Youssef’s widely-watched weekly show has become a platform for parodying the government, opposition, media and clerics.
The comedian has faced a number of lawsuits in the past accusing him of insulting Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, and “corrupting morals.”
One of Youssef’s attorneys, Gamal Eid, said this is the first time an arrest warrant has been issued for Youssef, however.
The warrant comes amid what the opposition says is a widening government crackdown against its ranks, fueling concerns about freedoms of expression and assembly.
