Egyptian authorities have detained a famous TV host whose program had been critical of the government's policies, including its crackdown on freedom of speech, her lawyer says.
Liliane Daoud was taken from her house to an undisclosed location, Zyad el-Elaimy said on Monday.
Daoud hosted a talk show on ONTV, a private network that has adopted a less critical editorial line since Ahmed Abou Hashima, a pro-government businessman, purchased it last month.
El-Elaimy said Daoud's arrest came hours after the network ended her contract, and that authorities intend to deport her to Lebanon, where she has residency.
"This is forced disappearance," he told The Associated Press, saying he learned about her arrest from her 10-year-old daughter, who was at home when she was detained.
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Security officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Airport officials said she has not been brought there.
Daoud's last posting on her Twitter account announced that her contract with ONTV had come to an end after five years.
The contracts of another TV host, Gaber al-Qarmouti, and his team were also terminated.
Journalists and activists expressed shock at her arrest on social media.
The former satirical TV host Bassem Youssef - once described as the Jon Stewart of Egypt- said her arrest is "just the beginning".
"She has been kidnapped," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Authorities launched a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent after the military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, arresting thousands of people, mainly his Islamist supporters but also a number of well-known secular activists.
Also on Monday, Mozn Hassan, a prominent female activist, was banned from travelling to a human rights meeting in Beirut.
Nazra for Feminist Studies, a group she founded, said the case was linked to an intensified crackdown on non-governmental organisations.
