Comment on Al-Jazeera denounces shutdown demands

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A top Al-Jazeera official Friday denounced demands to shut down the network by countries involved in a dispute with its host nation Qatar as an attempt to suppress free expression. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke ties with Qatar and restricted access to land, sea and air routes earlier this month over allegations it funds terrorism – an accusation Doha rejects but that President Trump has echoed.