Journalists fined for doctored photo
A court on Saturday fined an editor and a reporter 80,000 pounds (US$ 14,600) each for publishing a doctored photo of Al Azhar Shiekh Mohammed Sayed Al Tantawi.
A criminal court in Giza ordered that Al Fajr editor Adel Hammouda and writer Mohamed Al Baz on charges that they had defamed Al Tantawi. The court also ordered they pay 5,000 Egyptian pounds ($897) directly to Al Tantawi, who filed a defamation suit.
In the doctored photo, Al Tantawi was wearing a papal robe, following his visit to the Vatican in March 2007.
Hammouda criticized the ruling, saying libel laws in Egypt were being used to stifle the press, according to the AFP.
"They're coming up with ways to restrict journalists. They should annul the laws that allow judges to jail reporters," the opposition paper's editor told AFP after sentencing.
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the sentence in a press release.
"This verdict sends a chilling message to Egyptian journalists that criticism of religious institutions is off-limits," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney, in the release. "Satirical journalism is a vital component of a healthy democracy. We urge the courts to overturn this conviction on appeal."
Tantawi, who is appointed to his position by President Hosni Mubarak, is close to the Egyptian government, which has little tolerance for criticism.
Egyptian law and Islamic custom has little tolerance for insults to Islam. Underlying this ruling, therefore, is that there is something wrong with wearing a Christian robe.
A criminal court in Giza ordered that Al Fajr editor Adel Hammouda and writer Mohamed Al Baz on charges that they had defamed Al Tantawi. The court also ordered they pay 5,000 Egyptian pounds ($897) directly to Al Tantawi, who filed a defamation suit.
In the doctored photo, Al Tantawi was wearing a papal robe, following his visit to the Vatican in March 2007.
Hammouda criticized the ruling, saying libel laws in Egypt were being used to stifle the press, according to the AFP.
"They're coming up with ways to restrict journalists. They should annul the laws that allow judges to jail reporters," the opposition paper's editor told AFP after sentencing.
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the sentence in a press release.
"This verdict sends a chilling message to Egyptian journalists that criticism of religious institutions is off-limits," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney, in the release. "Satirical journalism is a vital component of a healthy democracy. We urge the courts to overturn this conviction on appeal."
Tantawi, who is appointed to his position by President Hosni Mubarak, is close to the Egyptian government, which has little tolerance for criticism.
Egyptian law and Islamic custom has little tolerance for insults to Islam. Underlying this ruling, therefore, is that there is something wrong with wearing a Christian robe.
posted by Andrew Bossone at
9:02 AM
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