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The Internet In the Arab World
A New Space of Repression?
No Rules, No Limits
United Arab Emirates:
Freedom of expression is missing despite a decision banning imprisonment for press crimes
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The latest in the imprisonment of journalists in Egypt
Another jail-sentence for the Wafd's editor
The latest news is: a jail sentence for the head of Wafd's party
Cairo, October 29, 2007
Another jail sentence was issued against a newspaper's editor in Egypt, a story that became quite familiar in Egypt but what is not, is the verdict the Assiut criminal court issued yesterday to sentence the head of Wafd's party and the newspaper's Assuit's correspondent Yonis Darwish for one month.
The case which carried number 7844 crimes Assuit for 2007, is related also to a news story Alwafd newspaper published about a municipal session covered by its correspondent, a lawsuit was filed by a lawyer who contended the credibility of the story.
The Wafd's party is one of the oldest parties in Egypt and has just survived a conflict about the party's presidency which brought the party back to the serious opposition groups in Egypt yet the wave of courts' verdicts against the Wafd's editor in chief the journalist "Anwar Alhwary" and lately the head of the party" Mr. Mahmoud Abaza" is a full-blown example of the deteriorating condition of the press freedoms in Egypt and an iron hand laid upon parties' activities in Egypt.
"No one knows the number of lawsuits filed against journalists and writers in Egypt, the number is about 500 cases every year, this is an estimate, prisons became the expected residence of journalists in Egypt". Said Gamal Eid, the Executive Director of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information.
"Almost three years has passed since the president made his promise to put an end to imprisoning journalists in publishing cases, without fulfilling that promise, or even keeping things the way they were. On the contrary the trend of imprisoning the journalist and writers has increased which makes us wonder, have we mistakenly understood the promise? And it was 'an increase' in, instead of 'putting an end' to the prison sentence in publishing cases" said the Arabic Network.
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