14 - 20 June 2001
Issue No.538
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 June 2001 Issue No.538 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Fit to be tied
The Egyptian press celebrated last Sunday the anniversary of its victory over law 93/1995. The staunch resistance of the Journalists' Syndicate as well as the support of human rights and pro-democracy activists brought the law down. Its replacement (law 96/1996) is by no means a model of freedom, but it is less repressive.
Despite the buoyant mood, however, journalists cannot shake a feeling of profound disappointment: after years of fighting for a free press, they must make do with standards far beneath those that apply to their colleagues abroad.
The new law is riddled with loopholes, yet no one seems to be calling for amendments. The emergency law and the penal code impose harsh penalties on the press. Journalists' hands are bound in this age of free information. Libel and other publication offenses have brought many to court; some have already served prison sentences, while 150 await trial.
The freedom to establish newspapers is still restricted by the whims of a committee answering directly to the government and categorically opposed to pluralism, no matter how serious and well-intentioned. The committee, however, allows the "yellow press" to flourish simply because it serves money and power.
A small margin of freedom of opinion and expression does exist today, but is unworthy of Egypt's history. Still, the official line is that we are experiencing democracy at its best. In fact, the press is facing challenges on all sides: constrained by security and political red tape, gagged by self-censorship... We desperately need new blood, and we must listen to the needs of the young generation. A grim picture; yet perhaps a new day is at hand?
* This week's Soapbox speaker is a senior Al-Ahram columnist.
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