H. E. Muhammad Hosni Mubarak
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Office of the President
Oruba Palace
Heliopolis, Cairo
Egypt

Vienna, 3 August 1995

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 85 countries, strongly condemns the recent attacks on the editor of an Egyptian opposition newspapers.

We are informed that Gamal Badawi, editor-in-chief of the opposition daily Al-Wafd, and his driver were assaulted late on Tuesday, 1 August 1995 by unidentified men who had followed his car as he was headed for home after work. Mr. Badawi and the driver suffered minor injuries.

Mr. Badawi’s newspaper is known to be frequently critical of the government and opposes the imposition of a controversial new law that sets prison terms and fines for journalists who are found guilty of spreading libel and misinformation.

IPI strongly urges that you authorize an immediate investigation into the attack on Mr. Badawi and that those responsible are brought to justice . We further urge that all possible steps are taken to protect the safety of journalists working in Egypt.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director