CAIRO: Ibrahim Eissa, chief editor of Al-Dostour daily newspaper, will not face trial before an emergency state security court as he expected a week ago. But Ibrahim Mansour, executive editor of Al-Dostour and member of the Press Syndicate board of directors, however told Daily News Egypt that this decision does not change anything in the flow of Eissa's case. "He has been charged with something he did not commit in the first place, Mansour said. "Ibrahim Eissa did not publish wrong information about the president's health. He was just wondering about it, asking any of the officials, like the Minister of Health, to tell us if there was anything wrong, Mansour added. According to Mansour, putting journalists on trial and giving them jail sentences is a clear indication of "the failure of the system which can only resort to cracking down on freedom of the press. There are ten other cases similar to that of Eissa s in various courts, he said. "This case is now bigger than that of a single individual, it is a public opinion case that threatens the status of press freedom in Egypt and its results will have a major effect on Egypt's political climate, Mansour added. Eissa is set to be trialed on Oct. 1, for publishing wrong information about the president's health and spreading rumors that threatened foreign investments in Egypt and caused public panic. Eissa was also convicted, along with Adel Hammouda, of Al-Fajr weekly, Wael El-Ibrashy, editor of Sout Al-Omah weekly, and Abd Al-Halim Kandil, ex-editor of Al-Karama newspaper, of intentionally insulting President Mubarak, head of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and other NDP members.
