CAIRO: The Journalists' Syndicate decided Tuesday in a board meeting that all its members would boycott the military prosecution and use their constitutional right to be referred only to civilian courts if the situation arose. "Any civilian has the right not to stand before a military tribunal, in addition to the fact that we are not at war. Even during wars, civilians cannot be tried in military courts," the syndicate's board member Abeer El-Saady told Daily News Egypt Wednesday. Asked about the legal support the syndicate would provide to journalists in case they are referred to a military court, El-Saady said that the syndicate urged its members to reject any interrogation by the military prosecution in the first place. "By accepting to stand before a military prosecutor, then we acknowledge the preset rules of the game and hence we legitimize it," she added. Several journalists were summoned by the military prosecution for criticizing the military including El-Fagr journalist Rasha Azab and its Chief Editor Adel Hamouda for publishing a report detailing a meeting between members of the ruling military council and members of the No to Military Trials for Civilians campaign. Both Azab and Hamouda were not available for comment regarding the syndicate's decision. Azab was interrogated by the military prosecution for allegedly publishing false news that disturbs public peace. El-Saady also told DNE that the syndicate will launch next week an initiative to protect journalists while covering the upcoming elections by defining the duties and rights of reporters. "Journalists will commit to the ethical and professional standards of journalism, but on the other hand they should have the right of access to information and protection from any violations or attacks," she said. She said journalists were subjected to many violations while covering elections under the Mubarak regime and those practices should not be used against them again. "The current elections law allows for journalists to be imprisoned for two years for ‘publishing false news about the elections',” she said, emphasizing that journalists cannot be jailed for professional mistakes. "We sent a letter to the Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) and the Minister of Interior to notify them of our demands during the elections," she said. A decision would be taken to boycott covering the elections if journalists are attacked by security forces or any other involved parties, she added.
