|
Journalism In Egypt: Caught Between Laws And the Government
|
12/7/2006
The Egyptian Organization For Human Rights issues today, Wednesday July, 12th 2006 its report on freedom of journalism entitled " Journalism In Egypt: Caught Between Laws And the Government". This report comes as a part of EOHR campaign calling for the removal of all of the restrictions to freedom of expression and opinion.
The report discuses EOHR's vision about the draft Law which the government has presented, concerning the amendment of articles concerned with the publication crimes in the Penal Code. The report also contains follow-ups to the cases where journalists are being tried, during the last two years after the presidency promise in February 2004 until July 2006, by the decrees of notorious laws such as the Emergency laws and the Penal Code.
The Report is Divided Into Four Parts:
First Part: Discuses the legislative and legal restrictions to freedom of journalism in Egypt.
Second Part: Contains the differences between the draft law presented by the Government to the Parliament, and the one presented by Journalists Syndicate, in addition to EOHR's comments on them.
Third Part: It has two sections:
(*)First Section: Presents the most important cases which EOHR have been watching during the period from 2004 until July 2006, whereas it reached 33 cases have been seen by the Egyptian Judiciary.
(*)Second Section: Presents the investigations facts with number of journalists in 52 cases during the last two years after the Presidency Promise in February 2004 until July 2006.
Fourth Part: Recommendations
In this context, EOHR welcomes the serious step taken by President Mubarak, concerning the cancellation of the imprisonment punishment in Article 303 concerning the financial responsibility. This Article was subjected to strong criticize from many sides for the controversy it caused.
EOHR welcomes that positive situation by amending the Article of the Penal Code, and it confirms in the recommendations included in that report, that there are many of the other articles in the Code need to be reviewed, especially Article 181, which punishes with imprisonment insulting a king or a foreign country president.
EOHR also suggests forming a committee consisting of legal and legislative experts to review all of the legislations concerned with the freedom of Journalism, especially the articles that punish journalists with imprisonment in all laws related to expression, publishing, and printing.
Also allowing journalists to be tried before military courts, and presenting civilians military exceptional courts should be banned. EOHR also calls to end the penal attitude concerning press and media offences and replace it with an attitude that encourages freedom of expression,
and also promoting creativity in the fields of media and press, and to enable individuals to own and publish newspapers, and removing the bureaucracy and security obstacles which affect the right of the corporate companies in publishing newspapers, without violating the principle of changing the warrant into notifying, and considering that the financial punishment of the journalists income and their social status whereas it doesn't exceed 12 months salary.
And working on drafting a law for criminalizing hiding information from journalists by any public or governmental organ. Also lifting any restrictions that might hinder information, while considering national security.
|
|
