The Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) in Egypt on Sunday has fined the al-Nahar satellite channel LE250,000 and has threatened to revoke its license in the event of any repeated violations, following recent controversy over TV host Tamer Amin.
SCMR has also moved to suspend all episodes of the “Akher al-Nahar” show presented by Tamer Amin, ban him from appearing in the media for two months, and refer the reports submitted to SCMR to the Public Prosecutor.
The incident began on Thursday, when Amin commented on his show on the Al-Nahar channel that “Egyptians in the countryside and Upper Egypt give birth to many children and do not educate them, but rather employ them in the workshops, and girls are shipped to Cairo, to work as servants and sometimes in more despicable work.”
On Saturday, the Egyptian Media Syndicate moved to revoke Amin’s license to practice the profession, due to violating the Media Honor Charter. In a statement, the syndicate explained that after the conclusion of the investigations with Amin, which lasted for about three and a half hours, investigations ruled that he had violated the Media Honor Charter and the Code of Professional Conduct.
An Egyptian court on Saturday set March 30 to begin hearings for a lawsuit filed against TV host Tamer Amin, charging him with making degrading remarks against Upper Egyptians.
Lawyer Ashraf Nagy filed the case before the Misdemeanor Court of Nasr City in Cairo, accusing Amin of insulting and slandering the people of Upper Egypt and the countryside.
Amin on his end apologized for his comments on social media, stating “My sincere apology to all our people in the countryside and Upper Egypt.”
“My statements were aimed at the public good, and I do not mean to insult anyone because Upper Egyptians are the origin of Egypt and I am proud of all our people in Upper EAgypt,” he explained.
