Breaking News ” September “

Breaking News ” September “


The State Security Apparatus arrests Hosam Al Wakeel
, correspondent of Addustour the independent daily newspaper, while he was covering the protest of the al-Gazira students’ families, the protests was against closing down the school.

The journalist is detained in the quarters of State Security in
Alexandria- well known as “al- Fara’na”( Pharaohs).

He was –falsely- accused of assaulting the officers, yet to present before the Prosecution General Office.
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information








Cairo on 14th September 2008
2:00 PM


Al Badeel’s Journalist is released and the Sentence in the case of Ibrahim Issa- editor-in-chief of Addustour newspaper is postponed

Said the Legal Aid Unit for Freedom of Expression in the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information today that the Prosecution of Agouza has investigated today with Al Badeel’s journalists: Yasir Abd el-Hadi and Walaa Abd al-Karim in the case no. 8171 for the year 2008 because of breaking the decision that ban publicity of any information about the case no. 771 ban, supreme state security-emergency, that relates to publishing news about a criminal investigation on the incident of seizing the lawyer Rafat Al Musalmi and others in a bribery case. And the prosecution has decided to release them from the prosecution quarters.

Boulaq Court had postponed the sentence hearing session to the 2 November in the case of the case raised by the detective assistant of Al Marj Police station against the editor-in-chief of Addustour newspaper, claiming being libeled and defamed by a published statement in the same newspaper.

The Lawyers Ms. Huda Nasr Allah and Mr. Yasir Sami had represented the LAU of ANHRI in the court and by attending the investigation.








Mahla on 11th of September 2008
3:00 afternoon


Update in the proceedings of the events of Al Mahla the greatest

On the sixth day of the proceedings before the Supreme State Security Penal Court, the case in which 49 persons were accused of demonstration and other crimes, after the defendant had upheld their inherent lawyers, the representatives of the rights organizations who decided to withdraw responding to the court denial to our demands as a defense committee.

Today was the hearing of the prosecution general, after which the central security soldiers who were present in the event time, came for discussion and testifying.

While they were cross examining one of them the lawyers discovered that one of the central security officers is telling the rest of the soldiers what to say and to uphold it when they are cross examined later, what conforms an influence on the testimonies of the soldiers. So the lawyers rushed to the court corporation to report the incident, the defendants pleased by this action, so is it required to listen to the soldiers of the central security is to discover the truth, or only convicting the defendants? What caused the court corporation to end up the session, and refer the case to the head of the court, to reschedule another session for the case review in within October.

The Committee of defending the suspects includes many of the lawyers representing a number of rights organizations which are:
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
Hisham Mubarak Law Center
Al Nadim Center
Freedom of Intellectuality and Expression Foundation
Al Hilali Alliance for Freedoms
Legal Aid Association for Human Rights








Wednesday 10 September 2008
3.30pm


Al-Mahala group prosecution today (continued)

As the defense retreated today, the court tried assigning new substitute lawyers, however this bothered the accused; they refused the new assigned lawyers and insisted on the old lawyers defending them.

The court was forced to accept the demands made by the defense, and it postponed the case review till tomorrow, to proceed with the hearing of the prosecution, in the presence of the lawyers, and it called today’s witnesses, and ordered an official copy of the investigation records, and a copy of the photos taken back then.

Sarah Car, a journalist from the American newspaper, the Daily News, had her camera confiscated to take its memory card, that has all the photos of today’s session in court, to be erased, nevertheless the camera was given back to her, however without the memory card; for which the court ordered that the memory card of this Journalist be brought.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information

Al-Mahala 10 September 2008
2.00pm


The retreat of the defense of Al-Mahala group

The defense authority advocating Al-Mahala group (49 accused) decided to retreat, in response to the rejection of their demands, which are listed below, by the penal court of state security:

 The
§ permission to get an official copy of the investigation records.
 Presenting
§ one of the original snapshots that were taken in time when the incident occurred.
 They were denied access to the technical reports by which the
§ accused are condemned.
 Their demand to bring the injured soldiers to
§ testify.
 The court allowed the hearing of the prosecution as to pave the
§ way before giving its final verdict tomorrow!

All this is considered to be prejudice against the accused, especially that the case is a state security felony, and the absence make it void.
Now the prosecution is considered to be political, and unjust.

The rights’ organizations that retreated are:
1. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
2.
Hisham Mubarak Law Center
3. Al-Nadeem center
4. Hilali Foundation for Freedoms
5. the Intellectual and Expression Freedom Foundation
6. Legal Aid for Human Rights Group








Saturday 6th September 2008
3:00 Afternoon

Summary of most important freedom of expression cases in
Egypt today

The Egyptian courts reviewed 6 cases:



  1. Case of the libel and defamation filed by Al Azhar’ Sheikh against Adel Hamouda, the editor-in-chief of Al Fajr newspaper, postponed for the hearing of the rest of advocacies to Monday 8th September 2008.

  2. The Appeal session of the four editors “Adel hamouda, Ibrahim Issa, Wael Al Ibrashi and Abd Al Halim Kandil” in the sentence handed to each of them to 1 year in prison, postponed to October 4th for advocacy, and attendance of the inherent lawyer of Wael Al Ibrashi upon the request of the attending defense lawyers.

  3. Three press misdemeanors raised as direct prosecution by Mr. Mohamed Mustafa Bekri, People’s Council member and editor-in-chief of Al Asboua newspaper against Mr. Yassir Barkat editor-in-chief of Al Moujaz newspaper; in cases of “ libel and defamation”, the session will be held in 11th November for circulation of advocacies between the disputed parties.

  4. The investigation with 6 of April youth in the prosecution in the incident of their assault, which was postponed to 13th September 2008.

  5. The trial session of Al Mahla Strike, in which 49 citizens were accused before Tanta Appeal Court, still being reviewed.

Legal Aid Unit for Freedom of Expression
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information