Cairo June 21 of 2012

ANHRI condemns the court judgement issued by the Northern Cairo Criminal Court, on Wednesday night of June 20. The court judgment fine the sports-critic “Alaa Sadek” of 20 thousand EGP. ANHRI said ”the principle of not imprisoning any person because of the publishing cases and judge by a fine is a principle that ANHRI asks for as well as all the freedom of expression and opinions advocates, so there is a positive side concerning the case”. But ANHRI declared that”filing the cases of publishings before the criminal court should have an end, and it shall be filled before the civil not the criminal court”.

The court engagement made by the president “Abdulah Abuhashem” in the claim filed by the previous chief executive officer of the national council for sports, “Medhat El-Baltagy”, who accused “Alaa Sadek” of slander. The court also judgment to commit the civil case to the appropriate court.

“El-Baltagy” filled the case after “Sadek” wrote an article to one of the national newspapers, mentioned that the salary of “Sadek” is unimaginable and from unknown sources, which he consider it as a slander made by Sadek.

The lawyers of defendant claim the acquittal for the absence of the physical and moral pillar that is the base of the crime against the defendant, as well as the right of criticizing is licit.

lawyers pleaded by the bona fide  (good intentions) of the defendant and the validity of the news as the corruption spread in all the political, social and sports fields, but that were not enough to acquittal.

In the same context, the same court adjourned the judgment similar cases filed by the president of the Egyptian Football Federation “Samer Zahr” against three journalists, due to an accusations of slander to the 13th of October. The three journalists are “Emad Mahgoub, Mohamed Essam El-deen and Labeeb El-Seba’y”.

filing the cases of publishings before the criminal court should have an end, to promote the freedom of expression and enforcing the right of criticizing and the authority control of the journalism over the executive bodies, in a country seeking to establish democracy”.

ANHRI added”we called the people’s assembly to review, omit and amend all the articles of the penal law and other laws which penalize by imprisonment in the publishing cases. In addition to the abolition of the criminal litigation of the publishing cases. We have made progress to convince the member of the parliaments-elect but the dissolution of the parliament, seized all of these progressive projects?.

ANHRI says that the Security Council of the Armed Forces bears the fully responsible for the violations of the freedom of expression and opinion because it did not act quickly to amend the laws restricting the freedom of opinion, in addition to it is a party participating in such violations in various times.