Reporters Without Borders has condemned Egypt for its arrest and military trials of journalists and the suspension of a popular TV critical of the country’s military rulers.

"This new wave of threats to freedom of information in Egypt is especially disturbing," the group said on Tuesday.

"Arbitrary arrests and hauling journalists before military courts constitute a danger to basic freedoms, as do prison terms, even if these are suspended," it added.

The media watchdog was referring to the trials of three Egyptian journalists in military courts since the army's ouster of former president, Mohamed Morsi, on July 3.

Mohamed Sabry was sentenced to six-month suspended jail by a military court in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia for taking pictures in the town of Rafah on the border with the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

Hatem Abul Nour also received a six-month suspended jail term after a Cairo military court convicted him of impersonating an army officer over the phone.

Ahmed Abu Derra was handed a one-year jail term by the Ismailia military tribunal for reporting without authorization in a military zone of the Sinai.

Reporters Without Borders called for an end to the trials and asked for an immediate and unconditional release of journalists “still jailed because of their professional activities.”

The French-based NGO also denounced the suspension of Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef's popular talk show, Al-Bernameg (The Program).

Private broadcaster CBC channel took the show off the air on November 2 after Youssef sparked controversy by mocking the country's military coup leaders. CBC said Youssef had violated its editorial policy.

The ban triggered a protest rally attended by dozens of public figures and fans. The protesters, who had gathered near the show’s recording studio, called for a boycott of CBC TV.

They said Youssef was being targeted for his remarks about Egypt’s military rulers, particularly the defense minister and head of the armed forces, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.