Human Rights Foundation Demands Eliminating Laws Restricting Free

 

One World Foundation for Development and Civil Society Care demanded the minister of legal affairs of People”s Assembly and Shura Council, of the need to eliminate laws restricting press freedoms, adding in a statement which ikhwanweb received a copy of it, that loyal patriots and people”s representatives in the Parliament should demand the elimination of all that can impede freedom and the expression of opinion, and demand openness and transparency.

 

The Foundation revealed that the articles of the Penal Code, which allow issuing verdicts against journalists must be changed, especially that law applied since 1914 when the martial laws were imposed on Egypt, as its aim was to restrict the freedom of journalists and their right to issue new newspapers, and also the Articles no.102 and 188 as they seem to be unconstitutional because they talk about bombastic things which include affecting the public peace and security, and these are charges that can be subjected to interpretations  of whims, and subsequently give judges the right to issue verdicts against journalists, according to the Foundation.

 

The Foundation thanked President Mubarak on his decision to pardon the journalist Ibrahim Eissa, and wondered for how long we will wait the President intervention, and for how long bidders on the country”s resources will push its progress back , describing the pardon decision as a “drop of water” that we wait for “rain” after it, especially when there are four chief editors pending the court sentence of an imprisonment or a fine.

 

 The Foundation also stressed on the need to fulfill the promise of the President to cancel the sentence of imprisonment in the cases of publication, so as not to turn the presidential amnesty to an exception.

 

Bulaq Abu Al Aulaa Criminal Appeal Court had sentenced Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Al Dostour Independent Newspaper, for two months in prison in the case of publishing false news and data about the health of President Hosni Mubarak which affected the national economy.

 

The earlier Court of First Instance had decided to sentence Ibrahim Eissa for six months in jail with penal servitude and a bail of 200 pounds to stop the sentence, however, the Supreme State Security Prosecution and Ibrahim Eissa appealed the sentence.