Al Jazeera to take legal action against Egypt

In order to protect its journalists and their right to report from Egypt, the Al Jazeera has asked a team of lawyers to take legal action against Egypt's military-backed government, the media network has said.

In a press statement issued Thursday, the Qatar-based network said it has instructed London-based law firm Carter-Ruck to take action in international courts and in the UN to ensure protection of its journalists from a "sustained campaign of harassment and intimidation" in Egypt.

The network said that its offices have been ransacked and closed, equipment confiscated, journalists arrested or detained and its transmission has been jammed by signals coming from military installations since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.

"Al Jazeera cannot permit this situation to continue. The right of journalists to report freely in situations of this kind is protected by international law and is reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 1738 (2006)," the statement said.

"However, the new regime in Egypt has disregarded this fundamental right and seems determined to silence all independent journalism and reporting in the country, leaving only the voices of its own state-controlled media to be heard," it added.