CAIRO: What one writes on Facebook can be taken to court in Egypt, a new case in the country has shown. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said in a press release on Thursday that acting professions union chief Ashraf Zaki has filed a libel case against another union member Hisham Baha'a el-Din over an article the latter published on Facebook. The pan-Arab rights group said that Zaki filed an insult and libel misdemeanor against el-Din, who was a candidate in the previous internal election. In the Facebook article, el-Din is critical of the performance of the union board and the current union head, Zaki. The article titled “Scandal at Acting Professions Union,” listed alleged violations by board members. Zaki then decided to file a lawsuit against el-Din, accusing him of “insult and libel.” The first hearing is scheduled to take place on April 24, and is worrying the country's two million Facebook users, who wonder what they write on their own personal pages can be taken to court. “What are we supposed to do now if Zaki wins?” questions Ahmed Moataz, a 23-year-old university student who said he writes regularly on his Facebook page on topics that could be questionable. “If I write something the government or an official doesn't like, does this mean they can take me to court?” In January, Zaki filed an original lawsuit against el-Din accusing him of “hoax.” El-Din then submitted a communique with the police, arguing that Zaki is “inciting to insult and threaten him on the phone to force him out of the elections.” ANHRI argued that using Facebook as a means of filing lawsuits is wrong and should be thrown out of court. “This is the first time that not only a citizen files a libel case over Facebook content, but an artist against his colleague as well. It is really pathetic to forward differences of opinion from dialogue to courtâ€. ANHRI added that they believe this is “extremely unpleasant that the head of the acting professions, one who is supposed to be defending the freedom of creativity, thought, opinion and expression, would sue a fellow union member because of differences of perception.” The Cairo-based rights group added that Zaki should not have forwarded the dispute to the courts. “He simply should have written an article in response to the accusations directed to him, especially when union affairs are concerned. ANHRI assumes that all union members have the right to criticize and assess the performance of the board without being prosecuted.” BM
