Media figure Hamdy Kandil’s trial scheduled for November 20

Media figure Hamdy Kandil’s trial scheduled for November 20

 

Judge Abdul Aziz Omar, Chairman of Cairo’s Appeal Court and President of the Higher Committee for the elections, has listed November 20 to try  veteran journalist Hamdy Kandil before Giza’s  Criminal Court. The trial will be just days ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary elections on a defamation lawsuit filed by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

Kandil was summoned on defamation charges in connection with a published article on May 3 in the daily Al-Shoruq newspaper. The article discussed several issues, including corruption, the renewal of the Emergency Law, and the exporting of natural gas to Israel.

 

MP Mohammed Beltagy, assistant secretary-general of the MB parliamentary bloc, has explained that Kandil is the spokesman for the newly established National Association for Change, a coalition of Egyptians from diverse political backgrounds who oppose the current government and has publicly called for an overhaul of the country’s political system.

 

Beltagy noted that Kandil could face up to six months in jail and a discretionary fine if convicted. He believed the trial was simply a settling of scores revealing again the violation of freedom of opinion and expression which is chartered and guaranteed by the Constitution and international covenant on human rights.

 

The International Press Institute (IPI) stressed that a transparent pre-election period is crucial so that Egyptians may have free access to a diversity of opinions and news.

 

“We are deeply concerned that this case is going before a criminal court, and hope that the judge will acquit Hamdy Kandil of this accusation,” said IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills. “Journalists should not have to operate in the shadow of criminal defamation laws, especially those explicitly protecting public servants, whose activities fall within the public interest.

 

In his statement to “Ikhwanweb,” Journalist Hamdy Kandil did not rule out that the referral to a criminal court was associated with being spokesman for the Egyptian National Association for change, a reformist group founded by Dr. Mohammed ElBaradei, the former (IAEA) chief, currently facing a smear campaign to tarnish his reputation in front of public opinion.

 

 

Kandil said the court’s decision was a real opportunity to make facts available to the public opinion with respect to the performance of Foreign Minister as it should be fit with Egypt’s reputation maintaining the current foreign policy has failed to reflect it.