Ahmed Mansour (journalist)

This article is about the TV personality. For the Islamic scholar and cleric, founder of the Quranists, exiled from Egypt, see Ahmed Subhy Mansour.
Ahmed Mansour
Born (1962-07-16) July 16, 1962
Egypt
Residence Qatar
Nationality Egyptian
Alma mater Mansoura University (graduated with a B.A. in Arabic Literature in 1984)
Occupation Journalist, TV presenter, writer
Years active 1980s- Present
Known for Al Jazeera

Ahmed Mansour is an Egyptian television presenter and interviewer on Al Jazeera since 1990s, and writer. He is one of Al Jazeera's prominent journalists. He presents Bela Hodod (بلا حدود, Arabic for "without frontiers"),[1] an Arab live television talk show from Cairo since 1999, which airs on Al Jazeera Channel weekly. He also presents the program Shahed Ala Al-Asr. In 2009, he published the book Inside Fallujah: the Unembedded Story.[2][3]

He was born in the city of Samanoud, in Egypt, and graduated from the Mansoura University, with a bachelor's degree in arts. His career started as a war correspondent. He covered the war in Afghanistan between 1987 and 1999, the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and the war in Iraq in 2004. He now leads two talk shows which are broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV: in addition to "Without Frontiers", he also presents the program "Witness Without Age". Both programs are widely viewed in the Arab World. Apart from his skills as interviewer in the programs he conducts, Ahmed Mansour has become famous because of his outspoken political views.

Mansour has openly criticized the current al-Sisi government. He has also criticised the Muslim Brotherhood. Mansour was criticized on social media after he interviewed the leader of al-Nusra Front, and a Syrian pilot captive held by the al-Nusra Front.[4]

In August 2014, Cairo's criminal court accused Mansour of torturing a lawyer in Tahrir Square in 2011; Mansour denied the charges, and Al Jazeera said the accusations were false.[5] Mansour was convicted in absentia in October and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.[5] Al Jazeera called the ruling unjust, and an effort to silence journalists.[5] Interpol refused to issue a warrant.[6]

On June 20, 2015, Mansour was arrested at Berlin Tegel Airport and held by German police at the request of the Egyptian government, provoking demonstrations in Germany until his release.[6] Reporters Without Borders called Mansour's detention “Egypt’s terrible revenge against journalists that cross the regime,” and stated that Berlin was threatening to put itself "at the service of a dictatorial regime."[6] Mansour was released on June 22.[7] According to Hans-Eduard Busemann of Reuters, "Mansour's case has put Germany in an awkward position as it tries to balance business interests and human rights."[7]

Mansour has written more than 20 books in Arabic.

References

  1. ↑ "Stage set for tomorrow's QPA concert". Gulf Times. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  2. ↑ "First-Hand Accounts Provide Unique Perspective on Iraq". ForeWord. 18 November 2009. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2010."Morsi’s Win is Al Jazeera’s Loss".
  3. ↑ Fandy, Mamoun (2007). (Un)civil War of Words: Media and Politics in the Arab World. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-275-99393-1.
  4. ↑ chronicle.fanack.com. "Ahmad Mansour, a Famous but Controversial Journalist". fanack.com. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 http://www.aljazeera.com/pressoffice/2014/10/al-jazeera-journalist-sentenced-egypt-20141014104613955831.html
  6. 1 2 3 Lantier, Alex (22 June 2015). "Germany arrests Al Jazeera journalist on warrant issued by Egyptian junta". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Germany frees Al Jazeera journalist despite Egypt detention request". Reuters. Reuters. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
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