CAIRO, July 9: Egypt’s independent and opposition newspapers were not published on Sunday to protest against a draft press law which the government bills as a reform but journalists say puts new limits on press freedom.
The government-drafted bill, which won preliminary approval in parliament on Saturday, eliminates imprisonment as a penalty for some media offences, but continues to allow judges to impose jail terms for journalists in many others.
The opposition said the bill was another blow for reform in Egypt and showed the insincerity of pledges by President Hosni Mubarak to allow more political freedoms and end custodial sentences for publishing offences.
Chief among the objections of opponents of the law is a provision allowing the jailing of journalists who allege financial corruption by officials or state employees.
“This is an addition which hinders the press from performing its role in criticism and uncovering corruption. It gives a form of protection to corruption,” Journalists Syndicate Secretary-General Yahya Kalash told Reuters.
Several hundred journalists and activists, surrounded by riot police, protested against the law outside parliament before marching to the Journalists Syndicate, blocking traffic in central Cairo.
“This is not in keeping with the president’s promise,” journalist Mohamed Abdel Qudoos said over a loudhailer. “This is a law for killing the press.”
Other protesters held sarcastic signs reading: “Viva corruption — Down with freedom of the press.”
The protest passed off peacefully, unlike others this year which have been forcibly broken up by security forces.
The law increases the maximum fines that can be imposed on reporters for offences such as libel. A total of 25 daily and weekly papers observed the boycott.
State-owned papers went to print as normal.
The government says the law is a step forward for democratic reforms.
The opposition Muslim Brotherhood, which holds nearly a fifth of the seats in the chamber, has objected to the law.
“It’s a retreat from the promise of the president for political reform and shows the absence of a real desire for political reform,” Brotherhood deputy leader Mohammed Habib said.
“The main aim is to silence the opposition.”
The government last month pushed a new judiciary law through parliament despite criticism by judges and the opposition who said the bill did not guarantee independence for judges from the executive.—Reuters
