EOHR Press release

Cairo 6/7/2002

The deterioration of the freedom of opinion and expression in Egypt

A Threat to the publishing on the Internet

The Egyptian Organization For Human Right (EOHR) is deeply worried about the verdict issued by the misdemeanor court of El Sayeda Zenab which was issued on 30/6/2002 to imprison Shohdy Naguib Soror for one year ( 39 years old) ( the son of the Egyptian colloquial poet Naguib Sorror) . In this regard, Shohdy appeals against the verdict and so a session will be held on 26/8/202 in the appeals court of El Sayeda Zenab in Cairo but in order to suspend the implementation of the imprisonment till the session of the appeal’s hearing, he has to pay a bail of LE 200.

It is worth mentioning, the moral investigations officers arrested Shohdy on 22/11/2001. Then he was presented to El Sayeda Zeinab in case no. 1421 of 2001 and was accused of having immoral publications and prints. These publications are a political colloquial poem written and published by his father in the beginning of 1970s. Also, he was charged with publishing this poem on the Internet.

In this regard, EOHR affirms its stance towards the full respect of the Egyptian judiciary verdicts but it is worried about the continuous use of laws, which restricts the right to the freedom of opinion and expression and the right to exchange information. These laws do not conform to the international developments because it was legislated in an earlier time before the ratification of Egypt on the International Instruments on human Rights, which guarantee the freedom of opinion and expression and the right to seek and exchange information.

Furthermore, EOHR is deeply concerned about the restrictions, which were put on the right to the freedom of opinion and expression and publishing on the Internet. In this context, EOHR calls upon the review of the legislations which restricts these rights, and to make them comply with the international instruments on human rights.