Trial of Kamal Murad Hinders His Work as Journalist

Trial of Kamal Murad Hinders His Work as Journalist

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information condemns the arraignment of the journalist Kamal Murad, a reporter at al- Fajr newspaper.


His trial comes in the light of a wider security crackdown against him, ever since he managed to communicate with Emad Alkabir and verify his torture at a police station. It is has been decided that a hearing will be held Monday 16 March at al-Rahmaniyah Misdemeanors Court in Damanhour concerning the ruling laid down against the journalist and human rights activist. Murad was sentenced to six months and to 100 LE (Egyptian pounds) bail after being charged with insulting a civil servant (police officer) while engaging in his work. ANHRI believes that what happened to Murad is a violation of his freedom and hinders his work as a journalist.


Several police officers arrested Murad on 17 June 2007, as a result of his covering a story on a group of farmers in Muharam Bek village, al-Rahmaniyah province. Murad had photographed police officers beating a number of farmers in order to coerce them into signing contracts with local landowners. The officers subsequently assaulted and beat Murad, threatening to jail him. Considering what had happened, Murad was shocked to find that, after being detained for three hours, he was charged with “assaulting police officers” and “inciting farmers against security forces.”


Kamal Murad had previously published stories on the case against police officer Islam Nabih, who was sentenced to three years imprisonment for torturing Emad al-Kabir. Officers who attacked Murad referred to him as “the cause for the three-year imprisonment of Officer [Nabih].” ANHRI, along with the Hesham Mubarak Centre for Human Rights and the Arabic Council Supporting Fair Trials, have joined together in Murad”s defense.


The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information believes that the targeting of Murad by police comes in retaliation for his courageous stands in exposing corruption and torture committed by police officers. Thus, it demands that all charges against him be dropped. ANHRI further demands that government authorities safeguard freedom of press, and freedom of expression and opinion, and that they refrain from cracking down against the media in the country, which already face many obstacles and barriers, chief among them the imprisonment of journalists and broadcasters.