AP: Egyptian Journalists Protest Court Ruling...

Headline: Egyptian journalists protest court ruling against fellow scribes

PAKINAM AMER
Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ More than 50 journalists and regime opponents
protested in front of Cairo's press syndicate Monday, calling for the
annulment of a one-year libel sentence against three fellow reporters.
Al-Masri al-Youm's journalists Alaa al-Ghatrifi, Abdel Nasser
al-Zoheiry and Youssef al-Oumy, who wrote stories critical of Egypt's
housing minister, were sentenced in absentia and fined 10,000 Egyptian
pounds (about $1,700; euro1,321) each.
The court ruling contradicts President Hosni Mubarak's recent
statement calling for press laws to be revised to prevent jailing of
journalists on charges related to what they write.
"I could be arrested at any time now," said al-Ghatrifi, one of
the sentenced reporters, speaking at the protest.
He said he and his fellow journalists were "appalled" by the ruling.
"I never expected so cruel a ruling against people of thought and
opinion," al-Ghatrifi said. "This contradicts what the president has
said about reform and change."
The Paris-based press advocacy group, Reporters Sans Frontiers,
issued a statement Monday saying the sentence runs counter to Egyptian
constitution and international agreements Cairo has ratified.
"Egypt cannot throw journalists in prison and at the same time
hope to demonstrate its will to advance the human rights situation. We
therefore call on the Cairo criminal court to quash the prison
sentences passed on these three journalists," the statement said.
Protesters, led by journalism syndicate member Mohammed
Abdel-Qodous, held banners and distributed fliers condemning the
court's ruling.
Members of the opposition Kifaya group and Egypt's socialist
movement passed out leaflets linking the journalists' case to
Mubarak's "corrupt regime."
Nearby, eight truckloads of riot police and two dozen security men
kept an eye on the demonstrators.
"This ruling humiliates the president and defames the reputation
of Egypt," said Abdel-Qodous, who heads the syndicate's Freedom
Committee.
A statement issued by the group offered full support for the three
reporters and warned that arresting the journalists could lead to an
"unwanted clash between Egyptian press and the ruling regime."