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Egyptian Satirist Faces Arrest for 'Insulting' Islam, President

Egyptian TV host Bassem Youssef addresses attendants at a gala dinner party in Cairo, Dec. 8, 2013.

VOA News

March 30, 2013 12:38 PM

A state prosecutor in Egypt has ordered a popular satirist to be arrested for allegedly insulting Islam and President Mohamed Morsi.

The arrest warrant issued Saturday is one of a series of legal actions against Bassem Youssef, whose popular weekly television program pokes fun at public figures and the media.

Youssef wrote on his Twitter account Saturday that he will go to the public prosecutor's office on Sunday. He joked that the authorities could send him a police car to him in advance to save him the trouble of arranging transportation.

Opposition groups contend the government is intensifying a crackdown on dissent in Egypt, and that this has put at risk the safety of freedom of expression in the country.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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