JERUSALEM—In the Arab world, being a journalist can be enough to get you thrown in jail. Just ask the staff of the progressive news website Yanair in Cairo. Two of the website’s editors, Amr Badr and Mahmoud al-Sakka, were arrested on May 1. They were jailed and charged with “spreading false news, endangering national security, and organizing illegal protests.”
Journalists and activists call for the release of two journalists during a protest in front of the Journalist Syndicate in Cairo on May 12, 2016. AP Photo/Amr Nabil
