Bassem Youssef, a satirist who’s been called “the Egyptian Jon Stewart,” announced that his weekly TV show has been canceled after “pressure” from unnamed political forces. From the Associated Press:
“The present climate in Egypt is not suitable for a political satire program,” Youssef told reporters. “I’m tired of struggling and fearing and worrying about my safety and that of my family.”
Youssef’s show, Al Bernameg (The Program), launched after the 2011 Egyptian revolution that led to the election of Mohammed Morsi. Morsi was later deposed by the military, which has repressed dissent and whose favored candidate—Abdel Fattah al-Sisi—won last week’s dubious presidential election with 95 percent of the vote.
“We hope to live the day when we can do the show the way we want it,” Youssef said, according to Reuters, “with no pressures.”
