CAIRO — Egypt’s prominent TV host Ibrahim Eissa’s show on Al-Kahera Wal-Nas TV was taken off the air Jan. 1 after official quarters declared its content to be offending and deriding toward the regime's policies.
In a statement after the show was suspended, Eissa — who was once a staunch supporter and close associate of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s regime and the first to announce his candidacy for president — said Jan. 1, “I think that the course of events and the necessities of the times have all led me to leave the show for later or a time that could come in the future.” During televised remarks on BBC Arabic Jan. 12, he explained, "The public is well-aware of the pressure placed on us. The regime has gotten so impatient with my show and other issues. The regime is no longer tolerating any criticism of its policies.”