About Us | Reports & Press Releases | Newsletter | Topics For Discussion | Step Forward | HR Agenda

Home »» Press Releases
Replying to Abdel Fatah Murad's fabricated cases
Investigation to lift the judge's immunity started and other developments

Cairo, June 18, 2007

New developments have taken place in the case of the judge Abdel Fatah Murad, who fabricated a number of cases against Hisham Mubarak Law Center, and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, as well as against many bloggers, human rights and news websites, Hisham Mubarak Law Center and The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said today.

The case developments as follows:
    1- The state commissioner committee released a report on the case of blocking the websites.
    2- Interrogation with blogger Amr Gharbia and freeing him on L.E 200 bail.
    3- Alexandria prosecution started the investigation in Gamal Eid's complaint to lift the judge's immunity.
    4- Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, files a lawsuit against the judge, demanding a compensation of L.E 500,000 for violating intellectual property rights.
    5- Starting the investigation with Ahmad Saif, director of Hisham Mubarak Law Center and Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information. The investigation will be resumed on June 27 and July 1, 2007.
Details:

1- The state commissioner committee issued a report on the case of blocking the websites.
The state commissioner committee released a report on case calling for blocking 51 human rights and news websites, including some blogs. The report was positive; it:
  • Rejected the judge's lawsuit to block website for "defamation of the country and threatening the interests of the state," as the judge lacks legal standing.
  • Accepted the judge's lawsuit against the defendants except the ones against the minister of justice and the minister of social solidarity, see the link: http://www.openarab.net/issues/2007/issue1.shtm
  • Accepted the cooperation between the government and the websites' administrators, due to their interest in the lawsuit.
  • Refused the intrusion of some lawyers joining the judge as they lack legal standing and interest with respect to the case.
  • Refused to block the targeted websites, while reserving the right to omit any pages that carry an insult to the plaintiff or to his judicial identity.
    The court session was postponed to July, 8, 2007 in order to investigate the reports findings.
2- Interrogation with blogger Amr Gharbia and freeing him on L.E 200 bail.

Due to a biased report drafted by the computer and internet police department, blogger Amr Gharbia, winner of 2005 Deutsche Welle's best Arabic blog, was interrogated. Gharbia was charged with insulting judge Murad as the report cites comments posted on the blog that allegedly insult the judge. This means that the case rests on comments posted on the blog, not posts written by Gharbia. He was released with a L.E 200 bail.

3- Alexandria prosecution started the investigation in Gamal Eid's complaint to lift the judge's immunity.

Alexandria prosecution started investigating the complaint of Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, who demands interrogating the judge for the crime of violating intellectual property and calls for lifting the judge's immunity. The crime of violating intellectual property carries a possible jail sentence and a fine and cannot be investigated without lifting the judge's immunity.

4- Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, files a lawsuit against the judge, demanding a compensation of L.E 500,000 for violating intellectual property rights.

Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, filed a lawsuit against judge Abdel Fatah Murad demanding a compensation of L.E 500,000 for violating intellectual property rights. Judge Murad has copied many pages from the Arabic Network's report on internet and free expression without referencing the source. Gamal Eid said that he plans to allocate the money to establish a committee of lawyers defending freedom of opinion and expression and intellectual property rights. The Arabic Network decided to start receiving complaints concerning violation of intellectual property rights.
The lawsuit will be reviewed on July, 14, 2007 session in south Cairo court of first instance.


5- Starting the interrogation with Ahmad Seif, director of Hisham Mubarak Law Center and Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information. The interrogation will be resumed on June 27 and July 1, 2007.

North Cairo prosecution started yesterday the interrogation with Ahmed Seif and Gamal Eid in the case fabricated by judge Murad, who alleges that the two are blackmailing him. The interrogation was postponed due to demands by the defendants to inform the lawyers' syndicate about the case. Gamal Eid's investigation will be on June 27, 2007.
Ahmed Seif's investigation will be on July 1, 2007.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and Hisham Mubarak Law Center are presenting these developments to public opinion. They insist that their just cause is what provides them with the moral strength to face the judge's fabricated cases against them as well as against bloggers and other websites in Egypt.

The case turned from an instance of violating intellectual property to a case in defense of intellectual property rights and freedom of expression and opinion.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and Hisham Mubarak Law Center have uncovered information that will prove decisive in bringing the judge to justice, only provided just and unbiased interrogations.

For more information, see the link:
http://www.hrinfo.net/en/campaigns/2007/pr0426-2.shtml

Search the site
Join Newsletter
Name:
Email:
Country:

The published articles reflect the author's opinion, either individual or organization, it does not necessarily present the Network's opinion
Copyrights© 2003 - 2004 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information