The Misdemeanor Appeals Court of Sayeda Zeinab upheld on Monday a libel verdict against two editors at Al-Balagh newspaper who were accused of falsifying news of a gay prostitution ring involving three Egyptian actors. The trial lasted three minutes. Chief Editor Abdou Maghrabi and his colleague Ehab el-Agami were both sentenced to one year of hard labor and fined LE40,000. Maghrabi and el-Agami were not present during the session. Lawyer for the Journalists' Syndicate Sayed Abu Zeid said he did not receive an official response from Ashraf Zaki, the head of the Actors Syndicate, regarding Journalists Syndicate Head Makram Mohamed Ahmed's offer to settle the case out of court. Zaki had promised to set up a committee that would bring together a group of accomplished actors to discuss a solution to the matter. The lawyers of the three actors involved in the case are said to have rejected offers for settlement. Bail had been set at LE20,000. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
