Egypt’s top administrative court has upheld a ruling in 2013 ordering regulators to block access to YouTube in the country over a film posted on the site portraying the prophet Mohammad negatively.
In 2012, the film Innocence of Muslims sparked a series of anti-U. S. protests in Egypt and across the Middle East after the video was posted on YouTube, maligning the prophet Mohammad. The following year, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology was ordered by the country’s lower administrative court to block access to YouTube over the film, though the case was appealed while the court order remained in place.
After five years of the appeals process, Egypt’s top administrative court has moved to uphold the ruling by ordering regulators to block YouTube for a month over the video. Lawyer Mohamed Hamid Salem, who filed the case in 2013, told Reuters the court order also covers all links that broadcast the film.
The verdict is final and irrevocable, unlike the ruling in 2013. It’s worth noting, however, that the order is temporary, which means YouTube users in Egypt will have access to the Google-owned video-sharing website once the ruling expires after a month.
Source: Reuters
