(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon on Thursday urged the Egyptian military to spare no efforts in ensuring security and safety for foreign journalists in Egypt and condemned the government of President Hosni Mubarak for exercising force in suppressing public protests, the Associate Press reported.
Cannon turned the spotlight on the detention of two Canadian journalists working in Cairo for the Globe and Mail newspaper, as well as others from CBC, Radio-Canada, CTV and TVA news channels.
"We are particularly concerned at reports of arrests of journalists. All detained journalists should be immediately released and their media equipment returned,” the Canadian foreign minister stated.
He further noted that Ottawa is "particularly disappointed and concerned that the protests that began with hope, order and enthusiasm are now fraught with violence, havoc and fear."
On Thursday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon denounced the attacks on journalists and human rights activists as "outrageous and totally unacceptable," calling for an immediate cessation of violence by the Egyptian government.
On Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders Secretary General Jean-Francois Julliard hit out at pro-Mubarak mob and government vigilantes over "shocking" attacks in Cairo against foreign journalists.
"These attacks seem to have been acts of revenge against the international media for relaying the protests calling for President Hosni Mubarak's resigning," the head of the Paris-based media watchdog group said.
Meanwhile, Swedish public broadcaster SVT said on Thursday that its reporter in Cairo sustained serious "knife injuries" amid the turmoil in the country.
According to SVT, the reporter is now at a hospital in Cairo and is being treated for injuries.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has condemned the attacks on journalists in Egypt, saying they were "completely unacceptable."
On Thursday, a Press TV correspondent in Cairo was also forced to flee a scene of chaos and violence as he feared being arrested by government forces.
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