His Excellency Hosni Mubarak
President
Cairo
Egypt

Vienna, 18 September 2001

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, strongly condemns the three-year prison sentence and the fine of 200 Egyptian Pounds (US$47) given to editor Mamdouh Mahran by an Egyptian state security court, as well as the previous revocation of the publication licenses and subsequent suspension of Mahran’s newspapers, al-Nabaa al-Watany and Akher Khabar.

According to our sources, the 16 September sentence against Mahran, for which there is no possibility of appeal, was passed because he allegedly triggered domestic upheaval by publishing a report on a Coptic monk’s alleged sexual affairs. The court also found Mahran guilty of “insulting religions and publishing indecent photographs”. Al-Nabaa al-Watany had accused the monk of obtaining sexual favours from women in a monastery and then blackmailing them. The Coptic Church said the monk in question had been defrocked five years ago and that no sexual encounters had taken place in a monastery. The former monk is reportedly being investigated by state prosecutors.

We would like to remind you that the photos in the articles allegedly depicting sexual exploits by the former monk were taken from a videotape which had already been circulated in Upper Egypt for 100 Egyptian Pounds ($23.50) a copy. Apparently, copies of the tape had been seized by security forces and then, either by black market purchase or through a leak in the state security forces, a copy had made its way to Al-Nabaa. Furthermore, Mahran’s lawyer reportedly criticised the ruling, saying he had not been given enough time to defend his client.

IPI regards jail sentences against journalists and the suspension of media outlets as gross violations of everyone’s right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” as guaranteed by Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We urge Your Excellency to ensure that the case against Mahran is reopened and that the charges are dropped unconditionally. We further urge you to ensure that Al-Nabaa al-Watany and Akhir Khabar are allowed to resume publishing and that Egypt’s journalists are allowed to carry out their profession without further harassment.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director