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Trial of Wael Ibrashy
Another backdrop for freedom of expression
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28/5/2006
In a new backdrop for the freedom of expression, the Attorney General of the State Security Prosecution Office decided on Wednesday may 24th 2006 to refer each of Wael Al Ibrashy, the Executive Editor of "Sout Al Omma" newspaper, Huda Abu Bakr, the journalist in the same newspaper, Abdulhakim Abdulhamed the Senior Editor of Afak Arabeya, and Gamal Taj Aldin, lawyer, to the criminal court.
The events responsible for the decision goes as far as 12 and 22 December 2005, when the mentioned published stories in Sout Al Omma and Afak Arabeya about the fraud in elections at Nabarouh district Dakahleya, under the name of "Black list" handling the judges who are responsible for fraud in the results of elections.
On the spot, Judge Mahmoud Sedek Borham, the head of the Elections Committee at Nabarouh district, Dakahleya, reported to the Prosecution Office about the journalists, accusing them of insult and trying to mutilate the reputation of judges by publishing their stories. The papers were referred to the State Security Prosecution Office, where investigations were held, and ended by referring them to a criminal court.
EOHR holds its firm stand regarding the necessity of abolishing the penalties confiscating freedoms in cases regarding publishing, related to journalists and journalism. It seeks replacing the freedom limiting penalties by financial remedies and civil remedies, with the right to reply, in order to protect those harmed by insult due to published news and stories.
EOHR also stresses upon the necessity of effectuating the role of the Journalists Syndicate and the Journalism Profession Oath, in order to protect and support the moral side of the profession and to stop any journalistic practices breaching such rules violating the individuals rights, and therefore providing a positive balance between the freedom of journalism on one side, and the rights of citizens on the other side.
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