Al Dustour editor sentenced to six months in prison

Reporters Without Borders condemns the six-month prison sentence that a criminal court in the Cairo district of Bulak Abu Al-Ala imposed on 26 March on Ibrahim Issa, the editor of the weekly Al Dustour. Although courts previously dismissed eight other similar complaints against him, Issa was finally convicted under articles 171 and 188 of the criminal code of publishing false information “liable to harm the general interest and the country's stability.” He was also fined 200 pounds (30 euros). “The authorities are continuing the campaign of intimidation against independent journalists that began at the start of 2007,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Comments about the necessary limits on press freedom made by the judge the day after passing sentence are indicative of the judiciary's general attitude towards the media.” The case dates back to 5 September 2007, when a member of the ruling National Democratic Party brought a complaint about articles referring to rumours about President Hosni Mubarak's health. Issa's lawyer told Reporters Without Borders he thought the conviction was unjustified as eight other complaints brought by pro-government lawyers against Issa in 2007 for the same reasons were dismissed on the grounds that there was “no direct, family link between the plaintiffs and the president.” He added that he intended to appeal. A case involving Issa and the editors of three other weeklies - Adel Hammouda of Al-Fagr, Wael Al-Abrashi of Sawt Al-Umma and Abdel-Halim Qandil of Karama - is meanwhile due to be heard by an appeal court on 5 April. A criminal court in the Cairo district of Al-Aguza sentenced them on 13 September 2007 to a year of forced labour and fines of 20,000 pounds (2,600 euros) for publishing false information “liable to harm the general interest and the country's stability.”