A PROMINENT Egyptian journalist who reported on a young man’s death in police custody has been detained on charges of reporting fake news, his employer said.

The arrest of Islam el-Kalhy comes after the arrest of several other local reporters in recent weeks, despite fears of the spread of the coronavirus in Egyptian prisons.

The government of president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has squeezed space for traditional media outlets and stamped out nearly all dissent as part of a wide-ranging crackdown.

The content of state-owned media is tightly controlled, while most privately-owned news media in the country has been acquired by Egyptian intelligence services or supporters of el-Sisi.

The interior ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Egyptian authorities in the past have denied rights violations and justified arrests on grounds of national security.

El-Kalhy was picked up by police “while he was doing his work”, said his employer, Darb, a news outlet owned by a socialist opposition party in Egypt.