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The Arabic Network wins acquittal in the 2007 Hisba lawsuit filed against Saad Eddin Ibrahim
Cairo, May 21, 2009
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said today that the Legal Aid Unit for Freedom of Expression won yesterday Wednesday, May 20, acquittal for Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, director of the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies in a Hisba case brought against him by Ms. Thoraya Labna (in her capacity as Chief of Social Professions) in 2007, where the Maadi Misdemeanor Court decided not to accept the criminal and civil suits, on the basis that the person who filed the case has no competence whatsoever.
Interestingly, the plaintiff claimed that Dr. Saad, had intentionally broadcasted false news and malicious statements, in the State of Qatar and the Czech Republic, on the internal situation in Egypt. Furthermore, she claimed that this led to the weakening of the country's financial confidence and prestige, accusing him of doing an activity that would harm the national interests of the country, and that he benefited from that materially and morally, and these charges are punishable under the Penal Code by imprisonment for up to five years and a fine or one of these two penalties.
Taher Abul-Nasr, lawyer in the Legal Aid Unit for Freedom of Expression of the Arabic Network, said that "Our success in winning this case, confirms that we have begun to reap the fruits of the hard work conducted in the face of Hisba lawsuits over the past years. And this success encourages us to continue to call for the restructuring of legal environment to get rid of the loopholes that allow professional plaintiffs of political and religious Hisba lawsuits to terrorize those who hold different opinions."
It should be noted that Dr. Ibrahim was sentenced to two years in prison in 2008, in another Hisba lawsuit filed against him by one of the members of the ruling National Democratic Party, on the grounds of articles published by the accused, which were deemed by the Prosecutor and the court as an activity that would damage the country's national interests. In his articles, Ibrahim was calling for the American Administration to link its aid to Egypt to make further progress in the field of political reform in Egypt.
Rawda Ahmed, director of the Legal Aid Unit for Freedom of Expression of the Arabic Network, said: "Of course we are happy to win acquittal for Dr. Saad, but what concerns us most is the growing phenomenon of Hisba lawsuits in recent times. We plunge into Hisba lawsuits with a deep-rooted belief in the fairness of our clients' position, when on the other hand, we do not know exactly the outcomes or the fate of the lawsuit, for in the Hisba case that we assumed, we got Ibrahim acquitted, but in another identical case, the man was declared guilty, which prompts us to question the nature of these provisions, and whether they are political or legal."
It is to be mentioned that the lawsuit of religious and political Hisba, which the Egyptian law allows their consideration in courts, have generally become a source of fame, influence and profiteering for those who initiated them with no real interest or competence, which also pose an actual threat to writers and journalists, regardless of their innocence or guilt in these cases.
Researchers, interested activists, and lawyers can learn about all the papers of this case and other Hisba cases filed against Saad Eddin Ibrahim, on the following link:
http://qadaya.net/taxonomy/term/124
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