Rights Group Condemns Canceling License of Two Newspapers

Arab Network for Human Rights condemned in a press release the Supreme Council of Press for canceling the licenses of “Al-Zouhoor” magazine and “Al-Shourooq” newspaper in less than one week because of security agencies’ rejection to “Al-Zouhoor” magazine, and the participation of some journalists in the shares of Al “Shorouq”.

Canceling the licence of Al-Zouhoor magazine ,whose board of directors is headed by Salah Abdul Maksood “the Press Syndicate Council agent,” came one day before printing it on September1, 2008, despite the approval obtained last June  by “Al-Ressala for Press, Printing and Publishing” company, the magazine’s owner.

The Canceling of the license was for an illegal reason, which is the rejection of the Security agencies to establish the company, as well as the violation of the resolution for the press law which prohibits any administrative authority to block or stop any newspaper.

On the other hand, the license of “Al-Shourooq” daily newspaper was canceled on September 3, 2008 whose board of directors is headed by Ibrahim Al-Moalem, Chairman of the Egyptian Publishers Association, and whose editor–in-chief is Salama Ahmed Salama, one of the most prominent Arab journalists. The newspaper was ready to be published after obtaining the license last June, but it was canceled for an illogical reason which is the ownership of some shares in the newspaper by some journalists.

The Network revealed that canceling the licenses of “Al-Shourooq” newspaper and “Al-Zouhoor” magazine, by the Supreme Council of Press, dominated by the Egyptian government which appoints its members, is a real confirmation of the role of this council to muzzle the Egyptian press. This council was described by many Egyptian journalists as “the Supreme Council to block the press,” ANHR said.

“Blocking  or canceling any newspaper, is dangerous and threatens press freedom, and what deserves to be canceled in Egypt is this Council, as the freedom to establish newspapers is a right for all journalists and citizens, and Egypt should fulfill its legal and international obligations in this respect,” the Arab Network for Human Rights stated.