Egypt court bans YouTube over Innocence of Muslims trailer

one-month suspension through anti-Muslim film site a "step backwards" for freedom of expression, says Human Rights Group

YouTube was temporarily banned in Egypt for Lead Anti-Islamic documentary that sparked riots across North Africa and the Middle East in September.

As human rights activists have called a setback for Internet freedom, the judge ordered the government to block Hassouna Tawfiq access to video sharing site for 30 days after the trailer of innocence sparked outrage among Muslims.

The ban was enacted on Sunday afternoon, and a spokesman for Google said the company, which owns YouTube, had not yet been served with any order. However, five years after a request for a similar ban was rejected by an Egyptian court, the alleged prohibition of YouTube this week was seen as a step backwards.

• In 2007, an Egyptian judge attempted to block 49 sites of human rights, but their efforts were rejected by the tribunal. "Definitely a step backwards compared to what the court ruled [in 2007]," said Amr Gharbeia, civil liberties director of the Egyptian Institute for Personal Rights.
• Gharbeia, the site was one of the people at risk in 2007, said the case showed a lack of understanding of the basic principles of the Internet. "People will find ways to circumvent the ban," he added. "The courts are not aware of how the Internet works. They use the same measures used against newspapers and broadcasters. "
noted that such a law could Egyptians "lose respect for the rule of law."

The case is one of many recent initiatives against freedom of expression in Egypt. A report released last month said there were more journalists have been prosecuted for insulting the president under President Mohamed Morsi seven months in any 30-year rule of ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Find best price for : --Egypt----Gharbeia----YouTube----Google--