Middle East News

Amnesty sharply criticises Vodafone over Egypt cutoff - report

Jan 29, 2011, 13:53 GMT

Dusseldorf - Human rights organisation Amnesty International has sharply criticised British telecom provider Vodafone for the cutoff of services by the company's unit in Egypt, the German business paper Handelsblatt reported Saturday. AI general secretary Salil Shetty, in an interview with the newspaper, said 'Vodaphone's willingness to close down its network is simply beyond belief.' Shetty said the move by Vodafone Egypt 'not only betrayed those who buy and use its phones but reveals a shocking disregard for freedom of speech by one of the world's leading telecommunications companies.' With 25 million customers, Vodafone is one of the largest telecom providers in Egypt, a country of some 80 million people. On Friday, Vodafone Egypt tersely stated that all mobile phone operators in the country had been 'obliged' to suspend services. 'Under Egyptian legislation the authorities have the right to issue such an order and we are obliged to comply with it,' Vodafone said. Shetty blasted the move in the Handelsblatt interview. 'Vodaphone has played directly into the hands of the Egyptian government and its forces of repression,' he charged.

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