Arab Spring: Police in Egypt reportedly accuse Dutch journo of 'attempting to spread Western culture'

Jenn Taylor | 10:54 AM on April 09, 2013

This is despicable. The whole citizen arrests and spy business is back to State Security days. #FreeRena

— Wael Eskandar (@weskandar) April 9, 2013

Instead of citizen arrests in Cairo of journalists, maybe somebody should detain Pres Morsi for incompetence? #FreeRena

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) April 9, 2013

Dutch journalist Rena Netjes is reportedly free after her arrest in Egypt on Monday. The #FreeRena hashtag took off on Tuesday after the Twitterverse learned she had been detained “under allegations of espionage.”

Netjes was working on a story involving youth unemployment and according to a phone interview with the Dutch news outlet Een Vandaag she was apprehended by the owner of a coffee shop who had asked to see her press card and passport before taking it to the police.

After the citizen’s arrest, Netjes was reportedly charged with not carrying her press ID. Daily News Egypt reports, “According to Netjes, the police did not want her writing stories which revolve around negative events in the country.”

http://twitter.com/evanchill/statuses/321623752943214592

Rena Netjes told colleague on phone the report filed against her says she was "attempting to spread Western culture" http://t.co/y4OBqyRTGo

— Erin Cunningham (@erinmcunningham) April 9, 2013

Netjes was released on Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/rago_legal/status/321624776454070272