CAIRO: Egypt's Press Syndicate's Chairman Makram Mohammed Ahmed announced in an open letter to the board and members that he is taking an indefinite break, effectively resigning, following protests against him by journalists for the stance he took during the revolution, saying that it was “disappointing.” In the letter, he delegated his duties to his deputy, Abdel Mohsen Salama. “I was and still am ready to attend the syndicate's council which convenes today, despite my ill-health,” begins the letter. He went on to state his commitment, throughout his association with the syndicate, to truthful positions and denounced claims that his position was a political one. “It is my right as a journalist to write and say what I believe is the truth,” his letter reads. Ahmed also declared his intention to lead a demonstration calling for the immediate release of journalists arrested during the recent protests. The letter closes with his revelation that he went to the prime minister over the death of al-Ahram journalist Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud, demanding an investigation into his shooting by security forces during the Friday of Anger protests. He also requested that Mahmoud's name be put in marble at the syndicate's entrance. BM
