Egypt's military rulers have frozen new licenses for private satellite TV stations, in a restriction that activists say harkens back to the crackdown on freedom of expression under ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
Human rights lawyer Gamal Eid says Wednesday's decision is vague and has an open-ended timeframe, giving the transitional leadership illegal powers to rein in potential media criticism in the run-up to November's parliamentary election.
Discontent is growing with the military rulers' management of the post-uprising transition period.
Communication Minister Osama Heikal says the decision stems from concerns about what he called an increasingly chaotic media scene and concerns over incitement to violence.
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