Habib: Sorour’s Statements Aim At Imposing Media Blockade on MB

Habib: Sorour’s Statements Aim At Imposing Media Blockade on MB

Dr. Mohamed Habib said that the statement of the Egyptian People"s Assembly speaker against the media and journalists aims at spreading fear and panic among Egyptians.

Dr. Mohamed Habib, the first deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood said: “The Egyptian People"s Assembly speaker Dr. Fathi Sorour’s statement regarding incriminating the media sources that publish news of the Muslim Brotherhood (or the outlawed group according Sorour), under the impending ant-terrorism law makes several points:

First: Imposing a wide-scale media blockade on the Muslim Brotherhood group, especially after the MB"s wide publicity after their win in the last legislative elections.

Second: Spreading panic and fear among journalists and media personalities against reporting news about the Muslim Brotherhood, and consequently frightening the Egyptian people from adopting the ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Habib added that: “Unfortunately, the Egyptian government is abiding by neither the spirit nor the text of the Egyptian constitution, nor the laws issued by the People"s Assembly. To cite an example, when the Emergency Law was first approved more than 25 years ago, they were saying that it was targeting only drug dealers and violence and terrorist groups. But we witnessed under it thousands of detained civilians who were even transferred to military tribunals on groundless charges."

Habib pointed out that the anti-terrorism Article 179 of the recently amended Egyptian constitution includes all Egyptian people, and makes every Egyptian citizen vulnerable to be incriminated by this broad anti-terrorism law, especially under the bad living and economic conditions facing the Egyptian people.

It is worth mentioning that Dr. Fathi Sorour, the People"s Assembly speaker, revealed that the media may be incriminated for helping outlawed groups in spreading terrorism, under provisions of the currently studied anti-terrorism law which will replace the emergency law.

Dr. Fathi Sorour said this in a joint press conference with Dr. Mofeed Shehab, the Minister of state for legal and parliamentarian affairs. The press conference was held on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the first Al-Gumhouria conference for anti- terrorism studies, and was attended by Mohamed Aboualhdid, the board director of Dar Al-Tahrir, and Safwat Abu Taleb, the manager of Studies Center.

"The anti-terrorism law will be applied to any journalist or media outlet that publishes acts of terrorism for outlawed groups", added Sorour, pointing out that the media will be considered an aide for terrorists in this case.

"If the journalist is a member in a terrorist cell or organization, and publishes the ideas of the organization, he will be sued under the anti-terrorism law" said Sorour.

When asked about the Muslim Brotherhood"s preparations for the elections of the Shura Council, Habib said that the group is still studying this issue and has not taken any decision yet.