The change did not appease many of the law’s critics. An official from the Egyptian Press Syndicate argued that it simply “creates another type of imprisonment,” as most journalists would not be able to afford the hefty fine, and might actually be sent to prison anyway for failure to pay it. Regardless of the method, the “totalitarian” law “aims to silence all opposition voices within the country,” he said. The Syndicate’s General Secretary said, “Jailing a journalist is a mercy, compared to that exaggerated fine. No journalist can afford it, it is a backdoor for sending journalists to prison and could cause newspapers to shut down.”
Rights groups also continued to denounce the law, including the semi-official National Council for Human Rights,whose vice president said the amendment only “increases the restrictions and burdens on journalists.” Some suggested on Twitter that the government agreed to alter Article 33 to make it easier for them to pass the rest of the counterterrorism law, which Amnesty International called “draconian” in a statement yesterday.