An Egyptian court has revoked the license of An Nabaa, a tabloid whose article on the sexual escapades of a former Coptic monk sparked Christians to riot last month.
The deputy of the Egyptian State Council, Magdi Al A’ggani, issued a verdict Wednesday canceling the license, meaning the newspaper will not be issued any more.
The head of Higher Press Council, Mustafa Kamal Hilmi, hailed the verdict as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.
The paper’s legal counsel earlier told Albawaba.com that “considering the case objectively” would prove the innocence of the newspaper and its editor in chief, Mamdouh Mahran, who were charged with obscenity and publishing material harmful to the national unity.
“What the newspaper reported about the subject was nothing more than what [Coptic] Pope Shnouda said about that delinquent person,” said the lawyer. “An Nabaa has also a unique record of defending our Christian brothers. There is a big difference between a tabloid, which An Nabaa was labeled as, and a daring press.”
In spite of such denials, Egypt’s Press Association has revoked the membership of Mahran, ostensibly based on an article in the association’s bylaws that prohibits member journalists from owning shares in newspapers.
Hilmi, whose organization issues newspaper licenses, also praised the position of President Hosni Mubarak, saying Mubarak was keen on not reverting to martial law under his command.
“This is a great position by the president, by which he has enhanced press freedoms and its message in preserving society’s basic values under the Constitution and the law,” said Hilmi.
He also thanked the Egyptian judiciary authorities for protecting “our society’s values, norms, and higher interests.”
Last month, an Egyptian beauty contest company also got into the act by accusing the paper of labeling its executives as “slave merchants” running an international prostitution ring, according to a report by Al Gomhuria Arabic daily - Albawaba.com
