Islamist media is reporting that a TV station controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood and based in Lebanon has been taken off the air. According to a Middle East Monitor report:
Ahrar 25 TV
Lebanon based Ahrar 25 TV channel, founded in the wake of Egypt’s military coup, was taken off-air on Sunday, a statement said.
The channel, which affiliates with the Muslim Brotherhood, said it was removed from all frequencies of the Nile Sat and Kuwait’s Gulf Sat Satellites.
‘The two satellite companies’ administrations notified Ahrar 25 that the decision was politically motivated and came following pressures from the Egyptian authorities,’ the statement said.
Commenting on the decision, the channel said: ‘It is continuation of suppressing freedoms, curbing media and violating the right to freedom of expression.’
Egypt’s first freely elected President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the Egyptian army last July. Several Islamic and independent satellite channels were taken off-air after his ouster.
The Egyptian interim authorities, assigned and backed by the army, accused these channels of incitement.”
The BBC had reported in September 2013 that Ahrar 25 was one of several channels ordered closed by order of an Egyptian court. A blog of unknown reliability describes the channel as follows:
Ahrar 25 replaced formerly Misr 25 TV, which was taken off air the day Morsi was deposed. Some of the new channel’s presenters carried over from the former channel. The channel focuses more on live and recent Brotherhood protests even during its regular programming.
