Egypt
Egyptian editors arrested for slanderPosted Sep 20 2007
On Sept. 13, four outspoken Egyptian newspapers editors were sentenced to a year in prison with labor for allegedly defaming President Hosni Mubarak, his son Gamal, the party's deputy secretary-general, the prime minister and the interior minister in articles published from July to September 2006, Reuters www.reuters.com reported.
The lawsuit was brought against the editors last year by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP, www.ndp.org.eg).
The charge of “insulting the president” was dismissed, but judge Sherif Ismael ruled that the four editors libeled the NDP and its leaders and “harmed the general interest by publishing false information” under articles 188, 302, 303 and 306 of the criminal code, according to Reporters Without Borders.
The four editors, Ibrahim Issa, Adel Hammouda, Wael el-Ebrashi and Abdel-Halim Qandil were ordered to pay fines of 20,000 Egyptian pounds (2,600 euros) each by the Cairo Criminal Court. Bail pending an appeal is set at 10,000 pounds each (1,300 euro).
“This is a death announcement for the freedom of press in Egypt,” Issa, editor of the al-Dustour daily, told Reuters.
The Union of Egyptian Journalists said the sentences were a “declaration of war on press freedom” and demanded that all laws for jailing journalists be repealed. According to the press law adopted last year, there are 35 press offences that are punishable by imprisonment.
Related links: Reuters, National Democratic Party, Al-Dustour (in Arabic)