Appeal Court Sentenced Ibrahim Issa to 2 Months in Prison Egypt’s Government Wipes Down Press Freedo

Appeal Court Sentenced Ibrahim Issa to 2 Months in Prison Egypt’s Government Wipes Down Press Freedo

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information condemned the sentence issued by Boulaq Appealed Misdemeanors Court against Ibrahim Issa few minutes ago, to 2 months term in prison, in the case known as “President’s Health Case”, in which the First Degree Court had handed down a sentence to 6 months term in prison past March.

A lawyer associated closely with the National Democratic Party had filed a political Hesba case against Ibrahim Issa at the end of August 2007, demanding imprisoning him claiming that the news published on Addustour newspaper about the health of the president had “made him panicky and horror-struck”, then the state security apparatuses caught the case and demanded his trial alleging that the story published in Addustour newspaper had caused a drop in the investment estimated to $350 million from Egypt.

The investigation with Ibrahim Issa was not neutral since the first investigation session and throughout the rest of the sessions conducted by the state security , and throughout the biased investigations carried out by state security prosecution. It was clear that prosecution was intending to send him to prison, those intention were confirmed when then prosecution referred the case to the State Security Emergency Misdemeanors Court. Although they have pulled back the decision to refer it to
State Security Emergency Court, but the regime was heavily backed against Ibrahim Issa, what make the prison sentence unsurprising! so that the government could take revenge of Issa as one of the important journalists who always criticize government”s policies, repression, and the corruption outbreak.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information as affirming its support to the brave journalist who has chosen to pay out his freedom as a price for freedom of expression and the citizen”s right to independent and free press. ANHRI, confirms that this judgment is an attempt to knock down the freedom of express in Egypt, and call on all journalists and aware Egyptian society to stand for freedom of the press and freedom of expression against a regime that chosen the repression, and failed at all except backing the corruption and repress the democracy advocating movements and press freedom advocates.