Egyptian journalist dies from gunshot wounds

Compiled from news reports

State-run newspaper Al-Ahram says an Egyptian reporter shot during clashes earlier this week has died of his wounds, the first reported journalist death in 11 days of turmoil surrounding Egypt's wave of anti-government protests.

Al-Ahram says Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud, 36, was taking pictures of clashes on the streets from the balcony of his home, not far from central Tahrir Square when he was ``shot by a sniper'' four days ago. It says in a report on its website that he died Friday in the hospital.

The paper says Mahmoud worked as a reporter for Al-Taawun, one of a number of newspapers put out by the Al-Ahram publishing house.

Tens of thousands of protesters have been massing in Tahrir Square since Jan. 25 demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that in one week it documented at least 101 direct attacks on journalists and news facilities, with 10 assaults on members of the press in 24 hours.

According to the CPJ, Mahmud is the first media fatality of the Egyptian protests.

"It is stupefying that the government continues to send out thugs and plain clothes police to attack journalists and to ransack media bureaus," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator.

"This is doubly outrageous after the embattled president, vice president, and prime minister all expressed various degrees of regret for the unprecedented attacks on the media on Wednesday and Thursday," he said.

Several major media outlets covering the clashes in Cairo's central Tahrir Square said their journalists had been stalked and attacked by supporters of embattled President Hosni Mubarak or detained by the military.

In a statement on Friday, Egypt's information ministry denounced attacks against the media as "unacceptable."