(CPJ/IFEX) – On 30 May 1998, “Cairo Times” publisher Hisham Kassem was informed by his printer, Sahara Printing House, that his magazine could no longer be printed in Egypt by order of the General Authority for Free Zones and Investment (GAFI). Like several other publications, the English-language “Cairo Times” has been printing in the free […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – On 30 May 1998, “Cairo Times” publisher Hisham Kassem was
informed by his printer, Sahara Printing House, that his magazine could no
longer be printed in Egypt by order of the General Authority for Free Zones
and Investment (GAFI). Like several other publications, the English-language
“Cairo Times” has been printing in the free investment zone established in
Nasser City, which is the only place where it may print in Egypt due to the
fact that it is licensed abroad – a measure adopted by the magazine in order
to circumvent government restrictions on printing licences. The apparent
justification for the printing ban on “Cairo Times” is that authorities
consider the magazine a “political” publication, and hence not able to
publish in the zone according to current regulations.
**For background to previous harassment of the “Cairo Times”, see IFEX
alerts dated 7 and 3 April, and 31 March 1998, among others**
The ban on “Cairo Times” comes just weeks after Prime Minister Kamal
Ganzouri reversed a GAFI decree issued in late March which had ordered the
suspension of all printing services for magazines and newspapers publishing
in the free investment zone.
As a result of the recent printing ban, “Cairo Times” will again be forced
to hire printing services abroad – a measure that drives up costs and
production time. The magazine estimates that it has lost USD 30-50,000 since
March as a result of government censorship and increased costs from being
forced to print in Cyprus previously.
Background Information
In recent months, “Cairo Times” has been the target of repeated government
censorship. In the beginning of March, the Ministry of Information
threatened to ban the magazine’s 5 March edition because of an article
describing the detention of Andrew Hammond, the paper’s deputy editor, and a
freelance photographer working with the magazine. Two weeks later, the
magazine’s forthcoming issue was banned from distribution after Kassem had
refused to remove several articles from the magazine at the request of the
Ministry of Information’s censor. These articles included an interview with
writer Khalil Abdel Karim, who recently had two books banned, and five
opinion pieces written by Egyptian writers commenting on recent government
press restrictions (see IFEX alerts).
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
violation of the right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers,” as guaranteed by Article 19
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
censorship of “Cairo Times” and ensure that the magazine be allowed to
report and publish the news without government interference
Appeals To
His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Oruba Palace
Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt
Fax: +202 260 5417 / 355 5700Farouk Seif al-Naser
Minister of Justice
Lazoghly Square
Mounira, Cairo, Egypt
Fax: +202 355 5700Copies to:
Ms Nayla Gabr
The Human Rights Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Corniche al-Nil, Cairo, Egypt
Fax: +202 574 9808
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
