An Egyptian Cartoonist was arrested over illegally running an online site without license, the Interior Ministry said. He was also known for posting satirical drawings regarding political issues in the country.
The New York Times reported, Islam Gawish, 26 years old with over one million followers on social media, Facebook was arrested after police raid his news online site headquarters in Cairo. Though, Gawish is publishing his satirical drawings on the net, he was not seen as a forceful critic to the President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The Egyptian cartoonist was released on Monday, one day after he was arrested. People from oppositions parties as well as activists accused the government that may have been restricting the freedom of opinion and expression. According to BBC News, the cartoonist was accused of possessing pirated software and running an unauthorized personal website. The interior ministry also did not name the website on the Sunday's released official statement.
Gawish's arrest was widely criticized by both opposition parties and activist and posted a statement on Facebook. It said, "This approach is totally unacceptable and there has to be an end for targeting people with free opinions, who wish for nothing but living in a country that respects freedom of opinion and expression, according to the constitution."
Another co-worker of Gawish, Mohamed Elzyiat said on an interview, authorities may have been looking for him because his cartoons are critical of the regime. Mahmoud Othman, Gawish's lawyer said, the government have shut down art venues, and now are arresting innovators. "The state must be very fragile if it is afraid of cartoonists" he said. Recently, Gawish have published drawings targeting Mortada Mansour, a foul-mouthed pro-government lawyer and lawmaker, Fox News reported.
Gawish has published his work on a Facebook page that has more than 1.6 million followers. He has satirised government figures, including President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, and aspects of daily life.
