CAIRO: A Cairo Misdemeanors Court slammed Adel Hammouda, chief editor of weekly tabloid Al-Fajr, with a LE 10,000 fine for tackling the marriage of steel mogul Ahmed Ezz and Shahinaz El-Naggar, in an "inappropriate manner. The court found Hammouda guilty of discussing the marriage "inappropriately . and the blatant intrusion into their private lives. El-Naggar, a former MP and member of the National Democratic Party, resigned from her position at the People's Assembly in 2007, when she married Ezz, a prominent member of the ruling NDP. When contacted by Daily News Egypt, Hammouda refused to comment on the verdict. "I have no comment.. I don't want to comment, he said. Al-Agouza Misdemeanors Court also obliged him to publish the court's verdict in two local newspapers with high circulation in Egypt. The court based its verdict on the constitution which states that the press shall "respect the sanctity of the private lives of citizens. Hammouda is notorious for his conflicts with the government. Earlier this year he was handed down a one-year prison sentence, along with three other newspaper editors, for insulting President Mubarak and NDP figures. However, the ruling was overturned and he was fined LE 20,000 instead. In related news, Al Omraniya Misdemeanors Court handed down a LE 30,000 fine toYasser Barakat, editor-in-chief of the Al-Mogaz newspaper, for the libel and defamation of editor of Al-Osboa weekly and opposition MP Mostafa Bakry. Barakat and Bakry had been engaged in a public dispute for months, and it is not the first time Bakry has taken Barakat to court. However, last July, Bakry withdrew a court lawsuit he had initiated against Barakat when the latter was sentenced to six months in prison and fined LE 20,000. A study by the World Public Opinion Organization exploring freedom of the press in Egypt, released earlier this year, stated that 64 percent of those surveyed wanted more press freedom in Egypt, and 32 percent said they are happy with the amount of freedom Egypt is currently enjoying. "Journalists, bloggers and activists in general face severe harassment [here in Egypt] as they are constantly faced with legal charges or their security is threatened, said rights activist Mina Zikry.
