Two journalists jailed

A journalist and editor from the daily al-Shorouq have been sentenced in absentia to one year in jail for defamation, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm.

The article appeared today as follows:
By Muhammad Abdel Khaleq Mussahil and Shaimaa el-Qarnashawi 28/ 10/ 2009

A Cairo court sentenced prominent journalist Salama Ahmed Salama, chief editor of independent daily Al-Shorouq, along with another reporter from the same newspaper, to one year each in prison on Tuesday. Both men were tried in absentia. The lawsuit was initially filed by Ali el-Naggar, an architect working for Sabbour Consultants, who accused Salama of defamation for claiming in a 30 March article that he had been bribed by businessman Ahmed Omar for a lucrative construction contract. Press Syndicate President Makram Ahmed offered to mediate between the two men in an effort to amicably resolve the difference. Ahmed, however, noted that responsibility generally lies with the reporter in such cases and not with a newspaper's chief editor. Translated from the Arabic Edition.

Egypt still low on press freedom rankings

Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) says Egypt remains one of the worst countries in the world for press freedom, according to its annual report. "Press freedom in Egypt remains shackled by a host of draconian laws, and state interference," wrote Sarah Carr of the Daily News.