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Arabic Network of Human Rights Information ANHRI
Freedom of Expression Legal Aid Unit
Hesba Lawyer Demands the Flogging of an Egyptian Female Film Director
Cairo, 13 August, 2008
One of the lawyers affiliated with the Egyptian National Democratic Party NDP who is a specialist in Hesba cases (which claim be doing a service by eliminating what is harmful to Islamic society) against authors and artists demanded the flogging of an Egyptian female movie director and sent an official warning to the Sheikh of Azhar demanding the execution of such request, said Arabic Network of Human Rights Information ANHRI today.
The Hesba lawyer offered the Sheikh of Azhar eight days to execute the flogging of the prominent Egyptian female movie director, Enas El-Dighaidy, eighty lashes because of a movie she directed called ¨Diaries of a Teenager Girl¨ claiming that the film defames Egypt.
It is worth mentioning that this same Hesba lawyer demanded, in one of his previous court cases, the cross-cutting of an Egyptian actress because she refrained from wearing a veil. He was also one of the lawyers who demanded to put Ibrahim Eissa, Chief Editor of Aldostour Newspaper, on trial in the case known as ¨the President’s Health Case¨.
ANHRI stated that Hesba has become a nightmare for authors and artists. Such Hesba cases could not have increased without the blessing of the government and cooperation with the Hesba lawyers. Such an attitude by the government allows for a heavy hand on brave journalists and bloggers who are still paying a high price for allowing us to enjoy a small margin of freedom of expression.
The Freedom of Expression Legal Aid Unit of ANHRI is strongly supporting Enas El-Dighaidy and all Egyptian artists and creators and calls all active entities and civil society organizations to stand against the phenomenon of Hesba , both religious and political, whether these cases are filed by fame- seekers or instigated by Egyptian government.
ANHRI also calls all serious media institutions to ignore those Hesba lawyers and not to publish their names to avoid making false stars out of them and eliminate their chances of becoming closer to the National Democratic Party NDP and to assure the right of every journalists or authors to express themselves no matter if we agree or disagree with their views.
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