 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Asserting professional values
In response, the council held an emergency meeting the same night and decided to refer Bedeiwi to the investigation committee of the syndicate.Bedeiwi, along with Al-Shaab Editor-in-Chief Magdi Hussein, and a cartoonist, had been sentenced last year to two years imprisonment for libel against Youssef Wali, minister of agriculture. However, the Court of Cassation quashed the sentence and ordered a retrial.
During the emergency meeting, the council issued a statement condemning Bedeiwi's conduct.
The statement said, "At a time when the syndicate is intensifying its efforts to protect the professional rights of members, including the abolition of the prison penalty for publication offences and forging a reconciliation on issues related to the profession, whenever possible, the syndicate's council was surprised to see Salah Bedeiwi, a journalist with Al-Shaab newspaper, violate all professional and ethical norms and traditions by attempting to assail the person of Ibrahim Nafie, the syndicate chairman, and other colleagues publicly on syndicate grounds, following a meeting of the council."
The statement added that at an emergency meeting held by the council on the same night, "the council affirmed its condemnation of this shameful deviation from syndicate and ethical conduct, viewing it as a flagrant violation of the press code of ethics and an unprecedented incident in the syndicate's history.
"The council, showing understanding of the motives of some colleagues in using some means of protest to seek solutions of labour problems or settle some issues related to the profession, affirmed that turning these methods into a form of anarchy is bound to undermine all the values which the syndicate, throughout its history, attempted to defend by all means.
"The council unanimously decided to refer colleague Salah Bedeiwi to the investigation committee, provided for by the syndicate's law, and asked the secretary-general to set a date for an urgent interrogation on the following charges:
1. Attempting to assail the person of the syndicate's chairman and directing insults at him and the syndicate's council, on Monday afternoon.
2. Attempting to physically attack the person of colleague Gamil Aref on Monday afternoon and directing insults at him.
3. The repeated violation of the work procedure at the syndicate headquarters and occupying the offices used to serve the journalists' interests, despite repeated warnings that he should desist from this because it obstructs work...
4. Violating the council's latest decision banning the use of loudspeakers inside and outside the syndicate grounds because their use causes chaos, creates commotion inside the premises and disturbs the residents of neighbouring buildings.
5. Hanging posters without the permission of the syndicate's secretary-general and without the approval of the syndicate's council.
"The council also decided not to allow sit-ins, strikes or the hanging of posters inside the syndicate premises except in line with the guidelines that will be laid down by the council and announced on Sunday."
