(RSF/IFEX) – On 29 November 2002, RSF deplored the Egyptian authorities’ decision to ban the November issue of the literary magazine “Al-Adab”, which focused on censorship in Egypt. “Censorship is becoming more disturbing in Egypt inasmuch as it keeps spreading to new areas,” RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said, noting that Shohdy Surur, “Al-Ahram Weekly”‘s webmaster, […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 29 November 2002, RSF deplored the Egyptian authorities’ decision to ban the November issue of the literary magazine “Al-Adab”, which focused on censorship in Egypt.
“Censorship is becoming more disturbing in Egypt inasmuch as it keeps spreading to new areas,” RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said, noting that Shohdy Surur, “Al-Ahram Weekly”‘s webmaster, was sentenced on appeal last month to one year in prison for the online publication (on www.wadada.net) of a poem written 30 years ago by his father, Naguib Surur (see IFEX alerts of 11 October 2002 and 26 November 2001).
Calling on the authorities to lift the ban on “Al-Adab”‘s latest issue, RSF pointed out that the Constitutional High Court stated in 1993 that the right to criticise public authorities was part of the requirements of a democratic regime. The organisation also pointed out that censorship is outlawed by Article 4 of the 1996 press law.
“Al-Adab”‘s November issue contained reports and personal accounts about censorship of the press, cinema and art, and included contributions by prominent novelists such as Sonallah Ibrahim and Edouard Kharrat. It also included an article by academic Nasr Hamed Abou Zeid, who was declared an “apostate” by the Egyptian Supreme Court in 1995 and now lives in exile in Europe.
In a press release, “Al-Adab”‘s editors stated, “We condemn this new violation of press freedom and the dignity of intellectuals, and we call on all intellectuals in the Arab world to protest against repression.”
