(CPJ/IFEX) – On 10 May 1999, state prosecutors charged five journalists from the bi-weekly opposition newspaper “Al-Sha’b” with libeling the head of the Al-Muhandes Bank in Egypt, Hussein Sabbour. The indicted journalists include editor in chief Magdy Hussein, managing editor Talaat Rumeih, deputy of the board of directors Adel Hussein, journalist Amer Abdel Moneim, and […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – On 10 May 1999, state prosecutors charged five journalists from
the bi-weekly opposition newspaper “Al-Sha’b” with libeling the head of the
Al-Muhandes Bank in Egypt, Hussein Sabbour. The indicted journalists include
editor in chief Magdy Hussein, managing editor Talaat Rumeih, deputy of the
board of directors Adel Hussein, journalist Amer Abdel Moneim, and
cartoonist Essam Eddine al-Hanafi. According to “Al-Sha’b”, the charges stem
from a series of articles published in “Al-Sha’b”, beginning in November
1998, that alleged Sabbour was guilty of corrupt business practices. The
Associated Press also reported on Monday, 10 May, that the paper had
“accused Sabbour of treason for investing $200 million in Israel” and that
he employed “several Israeli spies.”
**Updates IFEX alert of 21 April 1999. For background on previous cases
against Magdy Hussein see IFEX alerts of 7 July, 3 July, 1 June, 30 March
and 25 February 1998, 19 September, 10 September and 28 January 1997, 29
May, 24 May, 9 May and 31 January 1996**
If convicted of the charge, the journalists face up to one year in prison
and fines reaching 7,500LE (US$2,100) in accordance with Egypt’s harsh laws
governing libel.
