Dubai/Cairo: Al Jazeera on Sunday condemned the closure of its bureau in Cairo by the Egyptian government.
"Al Jazeera has received widespread global acclaim for their coverage on the ground across the length and breadth of Egypt," the popular Arabic TV channel said in a statement on Sunday.
"Al Jazeera sees this as an act designed to stifle and repress the freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists."
An Al Jazeera spokesman said that the channel would continue its strong coverage regardless, saying "the closing of our bureau by the Egyptian government is aimed at censoring and silencing the voices of the Egyptian people.
"Al Jazeera assures its audiences in Egypt and across the world that it will continue its in-depth and comprehensive reporting on the events unfolding in Egypt," the statement said.
"Al Jazeera Network is appalled at this latest attack by the Egyptian regime to strike at its freedom to report independently on the unprecedented events in Egypt," it added.
Round-the-clock news
The Qatar-based network has given nearly round-the-clock coverage to the unprecedented uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and had faced criticism by some government supporters as a forum to inspire more unrest.
Earlier, Egyptian authorities ordered the closure of the channel and revoked its licence to operate. The closure decision was carried in a statement by the official Middle East News Agency. Outgoing Information Minister Anas Al Fakki has ordered the closure.
No reason was given, but Egyptian authorities are apparently irked by Al Jazeera's coverage of the demonstrations seeking the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Al Jazeera has been providing extensive on-the-ground coverage of events in Egypt.
Alex Pareene, political writer for Salon magazine says that the major US cable news networks are prefacing breaking news headlines with the words "Al Jazeera reports."
Fox, CNN and MSNBC are all acquitting themselves better than they did the day Tunisia's government collapsed. All of them have reporters in Cairo, and are airing footage of the demonstrations on the streets. But none of them is reporting on the situation as compellingly as Al Jazeera English, which has reporters across the country.
Al Jazeera's flagship Arabic channel has faced backlash across the Arab world, including bitter complaints this month from the Palestinian National Authority over allegations that its reporting favoured rival Hamas over leaked documents about peace talks with Israel. Al Jazeera also broadcasts in English.
Al Jazeera has faced bans or restrictions in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In December, its offices where closed in Kuwait after it broadcast a clash between security forces and opposition groups.
The Qatari government bankrolled Al Jazeera when it launched in 1996 and is believed to still fund the station, but it operates with considerable editorial freedom compared with other government-run media outlets in the Arab world.
The network is part of a wider effort by Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, to widen the Gulf nation's political and cultural reach. Qatar has taken a lead on several difficult regional issues, including peace talks for Sudan's Darfur region, and has been selected to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
