Notes from Egypt's Interior Ministry leaked to journalists

People protest outside Egypt's journalists' syndicate in Cairo, Monday, May 2, 2016. The syndicate called for the dismissal of the interior minister and an immediate sit-in at its headquarters in downtown Cairo on Monday, to protest the police detention of two journalists on its premises the night earlier. (AP Photo/Brian Rohan) (The Associated Press)

A journalist take pictures during a protest to mark World Press Freedom Day in front of the Press Syndicate in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. Memos containing internal instructions from Egypt's Interior Ministry were leaked to the media on Tuesday, outlining strategies on how to deflect public outrage over arrests it made inside the journalists' union, handle the media in general, and deal with the case of an Italian student found tortured to death. Arabic on the banner reads, "journalism is not a crime." (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) (The Associated Press)

Journalists raise their fists during a protest to mark World Press Freedom Day in front of the Press Syndicate in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. Memos containing internal instructions from Egypt's Interior Ministry were leaked to the media on Tuesday, outlining strategies on how to deflect public outrage over arrests it made inside the journalists' union, handle the media in general, and deal with the case of an Italian student found tortured to death. Arabic on the banner reads, "journalism is not a crime." (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) (The Associated Press)

Notes containing internal instructions for Egypt's Interior Ministry have been leaked to the media.

The documents outline strategies on how to deflect public outrage over recent arrests at the journalists' union headquarters, how to deal with the media in general, and also with the case of an Italian student tortured to death. They came via the ministry's official email address, headlined as a normal news roundup.

One note recommended the ministry not back down in its conflict with the union, and pointed out a need to improve its image. Another suggested the prosecutor general impose a gag order on the investigation of the case of doctoral student Giulio Regeni.

The ministry on Tuesday said it had a "technical malfunction" and would switch to a gmail address.