IFJ Says Egypt Using Courts to Increase Pressure on Journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today said that Egypt’s attacks on press freedom are reaching “staggering levels” as the numbers of court cases and investigations of journalists have been on the rise.

“This week alone has seen the conviction of one journalist and the raid on the home of another,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “Egypt’s attacks on media only seem to be mounting and journalists critical of the government are suffering the consequences.”

On Wednesday, Ibrahim Eissa, the editor of the Al-Dustour newspaper and a critic of President Hosni Mubarak and his government, was sentenced to six months in prison for reporting on the President’s alleged health problems.

A judge ruled that the articles, published in August, caused investors to withdraw their money from the country, precipitated a stock market collapse and caused a drop in the economy. The judged said Eissa reported news about Mubarak’s health that he knew was fabricated.

Eissa posted $40 bail to avoid serving his sentence while he appeals the verdict. He had been due to be tried before a state security court where he would have had no right of appeal, but the trial took place in an ordinary court. Eissa has already been fined and sentenced to a year in jail for another critical article.

The latest ruling against Eissa comes on the heels of numerous others that have made Egypt one of the most repressive countries for media in the world.
Earlier this week the IFJ condemned the Egyptian government over raids and threats that have forced an Internet journalist to go into hiding to escape police harassment.

Abdul-Jalil Al-Sharnouby, a member of the Egyptian Syndicate of Journalists (EJS) and editor in chief of the Ikhwanonline web site – the official site of the Muslim Brotherhood – has had his home raided twice by security forces over coverage of the upcoming municipal elections.

In October an Egyptian court convicted opposition newspaper al-Wafd’s Editor-in-Chief Anwar al-Hawari, Chairman of the Board and opposition-party leader Mahmoud Abaza and reporter Younes Darwish on charges of libelling two lawyers. They were sentenced to a month in jail.

In a case against al-Wafd in September an Egyptian court sentenced editor al-Hawari and journalists Mahmud Ghallab and Amir Othman to two years in jail after they were convicted of publishing “untrue information which damaged the reputation of the justice system and the justice ministry.”

“Egypt has become one of the most repressive countries for journalists,” White said. “In recent months the situation has deteriorated and we have seen more colleagues hauled into court in an attempt to intimidate and stifle critics.”

In September, the courts sentenced at least seven journalists to jail for articles critical of top Egyptian politicians and officials.

The IFJ is supporting the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate in its demand for repeal of the law that criminalises journalism and wants to overturn the convictions of all the journalists in the country.

Click here to read the release in Arabic.

For more information contact the IFJ at + 32 2 235 2207
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries worldwide

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