Cairo: A correspondent of the Al Jazeera network in Cairo on Monday resigned from the Qatari broadcaster, accusing it of airing lies and misleading viewers.
“Unfortunately, I was working in a place which I thought it had credibility, but it is credibility based on a despicable political position,” said Wessam Fadel.
He added that the broadcaster aired old footage from Cairo showing Tahrir Square, a focal point for opponents of the former Islamist president Mohammad Mursi, empty, while the channel claimed it was recent footage.
“The channel refused to show interviews we had conducted in Tahrir despite the insults we had been subjected to for holding the microphone of Al Jazeera,” Fadel posted on his Facebook page.
Al Jazeera is closely linked to the Muslim Brotherhood to which Mursi belongs. Mursi was last week toppled by the army, one year after taking office, following massive street protests against his rule. His supporters have staged huge protests across the nation, demanding that he is restored to power.
There was no immediate comment from the Doha-based network on Fadel’s allegations. Al Jazeera offices in Cairo were raided by Egyptian police following Mursi’s overthrow allegedly for operating without a licence.
Earlier this week, the head of the channel’s office in Cairo, Abdul Fatah Fayed, was briefly held allegedly for disturbing social peace and inciting sedition is accused of broadcasting pro-Brotherhood reports.
Qatar, a gas-rich Gulf emirate, was a staunch backer and financier of the Mursi regime.
