Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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Protecting the profession

By Mona El-Nahhas

Dozens of journalists staged a sit-in at the headquarters of the Press Syndicate on Sunday afternoon to protest the continuing imprisonment of Magdi Hussein, chief editor of Al-Shaab, mouthpiece of the Islamist-oriented Labour party, and journalist Salah Bedewi. The two are serving two-year jail sentences and have been fined LE20,000 each for slandering Minister of Agriculture Youssef Wali.

The journalists gathered in front of the Syndicate building, calling for the release of their colleagues and demanding the abrogation of the prison terms stipulated for journalists found guilty of slander or libel. This penalty, they said, violates freedom of expression.

The sit-in was part of a campaign led by the Syndicate council, which is seeking to abolish all legislation hampering press freedom. At a meeting on Monday, the council decided "to establish a preparatory committee which will be responsible for organising an emergency general assembly", said Yehia Qallash, a council member. Qallash added that the general assembly will discuss the issue of imprisonment. The number of complaints filed against journalists has soared to nearly 250.

At the same time, the council's legal committee, headed by Osama El-Ghazali Harb, chief editor of Al-Siyasa Al-Dawliya, has been preparing a draft press law that contains no provisions for the imprisonment of journalists convicted of publication offences.

Under the current press law, libel is punishable by a maximum one-year prison sentence and/or a fine of LE1,000 to LE5,000. If the target of the offence is a public official, the maximum penalty is two years in jail and/or a fine of LE5,000 to LE20,000.

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