Egyptian Newspaper Editor Sentenced to Jail
An independent Egyptian newspaper editor has been sentenced to jail after suggesting in articles that President Hosni Mubarak was seriously ill. The Egyptian Appeals Court on Sunday the 28th of September upheld a guilty verdict issued by a lower court in march against Ibrahim Eissa, the chief editor of Egypt’s independent daily Al-Dustur for spreading “false information … and damaging public interest and national stability,” a judicial source told Al Jazeera, but the sentence was reduced from six to two months. The ruling comes after Eissa published articles in August 2007 saying the 80 year old president was gravely ill and sometimes lapsed into a coma. In a statement to AFP news agency, Eissa said ” the ruling opens the gates of hell for the Egyptian press and confirms the state’s hostile position towards freedom of opinion and expression.” He also said, ” this verdict isn’t just about freedom of the press and freedom in this country. This proves that anything concerning the president is a sacred and untouchable matter.” Many human rights proponents and press have denounced the trial, and have called on the President to pardon or retry the case. At least seven journalists have been jailed for issues ranging from misquoting the Justice Minister to speculating on the President’s health. More than 20 newspapers suspended publication for a day in protest. The crackdown is a serious blow to press freedom and freedom of expression in Egypt even though four years ago President Mubarak promised to end imprisonment related to press publishing.
Ahmad Aljoaan
