CAIRO: The two Egyptian members of the Canada-based Middle East Christian Association (Meca) will hear today whether they will walk free or have their jail sentences extended for a further 15 days. Adel Fawzy Faltas Hanna, the organization's Egypt director, and Peter Ezzat have been imprisoned since Aug. 8 on charges of defaming Islam. Police raided their homes at the time of their arrest, confiscating computers, CDs and books, which prosecutors claim contain information offensive to Islam. By law, the two men's jail terms can only be extended by a further 30 days before the authorities will have to decide whether to take the case to court or set the men free. Meca's director in Canada, Nader Fawzy, told Daily News Egypt that the organization has registered a complaint with the International Council of Human Rights in Switzerland. A mass demonstration demanding Coptic rights in Egypt is also planned in New York in the near future, he added. Mamdouh Ramses, a lawyer representing the two men, told Daily News Egypt that the defamation charges have "no truth to them and said that he regretted the lack of individual freedoms in Egypt. "But you can't argue with the law, he said.
