Egypt
Editor interrogated for questioning President Hosni Mubarak's healthPosted Sep 20 2007
Egyptian editor Ibrahim Eissa of the independent daily Al-Dustour is under investigation for publishing articles discussing the state of President Hosni Mubarak's health and opinion pieces criticizing the failure of the Egyptian government to keep the country informed.
The accusations against the editor claim that the published reports were “likely to disturb public security, spread horror among the people, or cause harm to or damage to the public interest.” Eissa's arrest was supported by Egyptian officials and First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, who claimed that the media should be punished for publishing rumors.
The Egyptian government has taken measures to control the coverage of the president's health by forming two commissions in the Supreme Press Council, which issues media guidelines and licenses. These special commissions will examine articles and reports and assess any legal action that should be taken. The Committee to Protect Journalists has listed Egypt “as one of the world's worst backsliders on press freedom,” and denounced the government's action against Eissa and the media.“If the government is unhappy about media speculation then it should provide the public with accurate and reliable information, not threaten journalists with persecution,” says CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “This spurious investigation should be dismissed at once.”
Related links: The Committee to Protect Journalists, Al-Dustour (in Arabic), The Egyptian Presidency