An Egyptian court has ordered a Muslim Brotherhood TV channel to be taken off the air permanently, accusing it of attempting to cause disunity in the country.

According to the officials, the court ordered the Muslim Brotherhood broadcaster al-Hafez to be taken off the air on Monday after it was accused of "inciting hatred" against Coptic Christians and “undermining national unity.”

Several Brotherhood channels have been closed since former Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, was toppled early in July, following a “military coup.”

Many human rights organizations in the North African country have condemned the court’s decision, saying, “Holding the inciter accountable is mandatory, but the closure of channels is a form of collective punishment, which constitutes a violation of media freedom.”


The verdict came a day after three al-Jazeera journalists were deported from Egypt and many of its staff were detained.

According to the Qatar-based broadcaster, Shihab Elddin Shaarawi, an executive producer for al-Jazeera Egyptian channel was detained on Friday morning, though he was released later.

The channel’s cameraman, Mohamed Badr, and Arabic correspondent, Abdullah al-Shami, were also arrested in July and August.

"There has ... been a campaign against al-Jazeera in particular, as the channel's offices were raided last month and security forces seized equipment which has yet to be returned," al-Jazeera's English service stated on its website.

The Arab broadcaster’s offices in Cairo have been shut down since July 3, when they were attacked by Egyptian security forces hours after Morsi was ousted.