Asia-Pacific stocks mixed on Monday    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt delivers over 30 million health services through public hospitals in H1 2025    Egypt joins Geneva negotiations on Global Plastics Treaty, calls for urgent agreement    Egypt, Japan discuss economic ties, preparations for TICAD conference    Egypt's PM tells Palestinian PM that Rafah crossing is working 24/7 for aid    Real Estate Developers urge flexible land pricing, streamlined licensing, and dollar-based transactions    Madinet Masr in talks for three land plots in Riyadh as part of Saudi expansion    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Journalists divided on court decision against Al-Jazeera producer
Published in Daily News Egypt on 07 - 05 - 2007

CAIRO: As the court finally decided on a six-month prison penalty with labor and a fine of LE 20,000 to Al-Jazeera producer Howayda Taha because of her documentary on police brutality "Wara El Shams, journalists and media experts have expressed distinct reactions on the case.
Yehia Kallash, the secretary general of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate (EJS), condemned the court's final decision and considered it a severe undermining of journalism as a profession.
"The concept of prison penalties in publishing offenses should not exist at all. Although we [the EJS] succeeded in removing seven articles that would imprison journalists from the press law last July, there are still 11 other articles that impose such penalties on reporters. The case of Howayda Taha urges us to work hard on eliminating those remaining articles and strongly condemning them, Kallash told The Daily Star Egypt.
He said that almost all articles of the Egyptian law are vague and can have various interpretations. "The problem lies in the improper formation of the law. The explanation of 'harming national interest,' which was the charge against Taha, can differ from one person to another. It does not have one definite standard meaning according to which the court can issue a decision, said Kallash.
Kallash said that in her documentary, Taha was able to unveil a regular crime that occurs in Egyptian police stations without making fabrications. He added that she used the standard methods while shooting the documentary.
He said that there are two main aspects that have to consider while discussing freedom of the press.
"The first is that freedom of the press should be concerned with protecting national interest, not the interest of the current political system. The second is that freedom of the press should be enjoying a larger place in the country provided that it doesn't intrude on the freedom of others.
Managing editor of the independent newspaper El-Masry Al-Youm Mohamed Radwan told The Daily Star Egypt that the Nozha Misdemeanors court, which ruled in Taha's case, is an exceptional court that oversaw the case bearing in mind specific articles that cannot be generalized in other cases.
He says the court's inaccurate investigation was unfair to her from the outset.
"The court's decision on the case is a severe violation of the freedom of the press. The documentary stated that it included fabricated scenes that imitate reality. Such scenes are normally used in documentary filmmaking. It is not something that she should be charged for, says Radwan.
He added that the accusations levied against Taha, which included tarnishing Egypt's image and threatening national interest are general and vague.
"What do they mean exactly by 'tarnishing Egypt's reputation'? The articles in the penal code cannot be applied on a crime that she has allegedly committed, said Radwan.
However, Amal Ibrahim Saad, an investigative journalist in the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram, told The Daily Star Egypt that Taha violated all forms of media ethics and deserves a harsher penalty than merely a six-month imprison sentence and a fine.
"All the scenes in the documentary are fabricated. Police stations in Egypt are not Abu Ghraib prison.this can never be considered freedom of the press in any way. This is a clear fabricated story from her imagination, said Saad.
She added that she doubts that any of the scenes are genuine, and even if there might be some individual cases of torture, it is totally unethical to make a whole documentary out of it and destroy the image of the Egyptian police on a satellite channel like Al-Jazeera.
Moustafa Bakry, the editor-in-chief of Al-Osbou newspaper, told The Daily Star Egypt that no one has the right to comment on the court's decision and question the judiciary in the case of Taha.
However, he said that Taha, in the documentary, has shown some individual cases of police torture as if this was a general phenomenon in the country.
"Taha should have mentioned the actual crimes of the cases she presented to balance how she showed them as victims. Also, the fabricated scenes could be easily misunderstood by the audience. People are not used to this kind of documentary and they might not understand that the scenes were reconstructed, said Bakry.
He added that the documentary did not provide a comprehensive view of the subject and ignored a large part of the interior ministry.
"There were some government figures who did not have equal space in the documentary like former general Fouad Allam. Taha also ignored mentioning that many of the police abuse cases have been transferred to the judiciary and that a number of cases have been filed against police officers who have committed such crimes, said Bakry.
Nevertheless, Bakry said, whether or not Taha was wrong, he does not support the court decision against her.


Clic here to read the story from its source.