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Al-Ahram Weekly 19 - 25 August 1999 Issue No. 443 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 19 - 25 August 1999 Issue No. 443
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Without warrant
In June 1995, the People's Assembly passed a press law that increased punishment in libel cases from two to five years' imprisonment. At the time, Egypt's press was under fierce attack, mainly from quarters that perceived that the available margin of democracy and freedom harmed their interests.The Press Syndicate and thousands of journalists strongly opposed the law and fought a year-long battle to reverse it. The past three years, however, have witnessed a sharp and worrying increase in the number of journalists sentenced to prison terms after having been convicted of libel. In 1998, four journalists served terms ranging from three to six months.
Articles in the penal code that allow for the imprisonment of journalists convicted in libel cases were rarely used after they were first introduced decades ago. The common wisdom held that locking journalists up as punishment for publication offences threatened freedom of expression. Journalists would live in fear if they were threatened by prison for mistakes that were often unintentional. Ours is a complicated and competitive profession, and press laws worldwide recognise this, limiting punishment in libel and slander cases to fines.
Following the election of a new Press Syndicate board in late June, journalists hoped that an era of understanding with the government would begin. They planned to reopen the matter of abolishing imprisonment as a punishment for libel. The syndicate also held meetings to reexamine its own code of ethics, and volunteered to punish those of its members who committed publication offences harmful to the reputation of the profession.
Then a Cairo criminal court sentenced three journalists at the opposition bi-weekly Al-Shaab to two years in prison and a fine of LE20,000 each after having convicted them of libel against Minister of Agriculture Youssef Wali. This is the maximum penalty provided for by the law, and the sentence was unprecedented. Many journalists vehemently disagreed with Al-Shaab's campaign, but this did not change their opposition to such punishment.
With all due respect for the rulings of the judiciary, there are many ways of punishing those convicted of publication offences. Locking them up with thieves and drug dealers will only undermine freedom of the press in this country.
