A journalist is being investigated by the prosecutor general for “publishing a false story" about President Mohamed Morsy. Yousri Al-Badry is accused of publishing a story which threatens general peace and security of Egyptian society. Al Badry attended the high court on Saturday and said that he was surprised to find that the legal affairs department for the presidency filed the lawsuit against him. The head of the appeals court, Mohamed Ghorab is heading the case. Al Badry commented that in his capacity as a journalist he expected the complainant to be summoned to state his case. However, he reported that Morsy did not attend the hearing on Saturday. Al Badry said that as the defendant he made only one request; that an impartial judge be appointed to the case. He cited the current conflict between the prosecutors and the prosecutor general as the reason for this request. He reported that Ghorab said this would happen within hours. Two members of the press syndicate attended the hearing; the deputy head, Abeer Saady and the head of the freedoms committee, Mohamed Abd El Qaddous. Al Badry confirmed that the syndicate was not investigating him but is in solidarity with him. The story in question was published on the Al-Masry Al-Youm website and reported that Morsy was going to visit former President Hosni Mubarak in the Maadi military hospital. Al Badry said that he was informed of this by his sources and he continued to update the story. Al Badry believes that because Morsy is a public figure the people have a right to know what he is doing.
