The 6 April Youth Movement has announced its full support for TV presenter Yosri Fouda, who suddenly halted his show “Akher Kalam” (The Last Word) indefinitely.

“The freedom of the media is the core of the freedom of speech, which is a basic right that no one has the right to deprive the people of,” a movement statement read. “We resentfully followed what happened to the great mediaman Yosri Fouda … The military council tried to impose strict censorship on his programme.

“Out of our belief in the great Egyptian revolution that called for freedom and human dignity, the 6 April Youth Movement hereby announces its full support for Yosri Fouda and its refusal of what the military council has been doing to deter the freedom of others.”

Fouda was due to host staunch military council critic Alaa El-Aswany Thursday to comment on an interview that two Egyptian army generals, Mahmoud Hegazy and Mohamed El-Assar, gave Wednesday.

However, Thursday’s episode was abruptly cancelled, fuelling speculation that Fouda, a highly-respected media figure, was pressured into shifting his plans by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

Fouda refrained from directly accusing any party of imposing restrictions on his work, but said he could not bear “an obligatory censorship.”

Later on, El-Aswany stated that he believes “a clampdown on the media” was behind Fouda’s decision.