Bassem Youssef and the Fate Of Independent Media in Egypt

For 15,000 Egyptian pounds, a bit over $2,200, famous Egyptian political satirist and “Egypt’s Jon Stewart” Bassem Youssef has been released on bail. He faces charges of insulting the president, contempt for Islam, publishing false news and reportedly also a fourth charge that has not yet become public.

A throng of his fans had passionately greeted him upon his arrival at the prosecutor’s office. One even had an oversized version of Morsi’s now-famous Pakistani doctorate hat similar to one that Bassem had featured recently on his show. Youssef, laughing, donned this one in the street for a moment before heading in to comply with the investigation. While there, he appeared to keep his cool, reportedly even posting a few lighthearted tweets during the proceedings, and he seemed even more defiant in his subsequent interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. But later, Youssef tweeted in an uncharacteristically sombre tone: “It seems they want to drain us physically, emotionally and financially.”