YouTube recently blocked an internationally acclaimed Egyptian reporter from posting clips. The video platform suspended Wael Abbas’ account because his material was supposedly too violent. They depicted police brutality and ballot casting irregularities.
Abbas, a professional reporter and anti-torture activist, saw his account shut down after uploading nearly 100 files on YouTube. The reports included many videos that cast severe doubts on governmental practices in Egypt, according to a recent report by French newspaper Le Monde.
Some 12 of Abbas’ videos showed graphic details of police brutality and torture carried out by Egyptian police officers. Abbas’ work had incriminated and led to the conviction of two police officers. He had obtained and diffused footage of the policemen sodomizing a bus driver with a stick.
Apparently, the Egyptian authorities took the rare step to sentence the police officers to three years in prison.
Abbas told Western media that YouTube had not warned him that his account would be suspended. He accused Google, which owns YouTube, of lending support to Egyptian dictatorship. Abbas has received international recognition for his work and was awarded a Knight prize recently by the International Center for Journalists. Egyptian media have boycotted his police footage.
YouTube’s regulations do state that ‘graphic or gratuitous violence’ isn’t allowed on the site
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