Editor released after almost three months in prison

Editor Ahmed Ezz Eldin Ahmed was released on 1st January 2005 after almost three months in Tora Prison in the capital Cairo. The president of the Arab Federation of Journalists Ibrahim Nafi had written to the Egytian authorities on 30 December calling for his release. The editor of the bi-weekly Al-Shaab was arrested on 5 October 2004. Two days later, a special court sentenced him to two weeks in prison on a charge of "belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood movement". He was brought before the same court every two weeks for nearly three months and each time his two-week sentence was renewed. Reporters Without Borders wrote on 2 December to Egyptian interior minister Habib al-Adeli calling on him to either produce evidence of Ahmed's guilt or to order his immediate release. -------------------------------- 2.12.2004 Biweekly's managing editor held since 5 October Reporters Without Borders protested today to Egyptian interior minister Gen. Habib al-Adeli about the prolonged detention of the managing editor of the biweekly Al-Shaab, Ahmed Ezz Eldin Ahmed, who was arrested near his home in a Cairo suburb on a charge of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. "We call on the Egyptian authorities to produce evidence of his guilt or order his immediate release," the organisation said in a letter. Ahmed has been held for more than 60 days at Tora prison. On 7 October, he was taken before the State Security Court for the first time and sentenced to 15 days in prison. Since then, he has appeared four more times before the court, which has reissued the sentence each time. Ahmed is due to appear before the State Security Court for the fifth time on 4 December. "If the sentence is repeated without material evidence of his guilt being produced, this could be seen as a sign that the Egyptian authorities want to gag the press," Reporters Without Borders said in its letter. Reached by telephone, Egyptian Press Union director Salah Abdulmaksoud told Reporters Without Borders: "The prolonged detention of Ahmed Ezz Eldin Ahmed violates the most basic human rights including freedom of expression. What's more, it is contrary to the law and the constitution." Ahmed lived for seven years in Kuwait, where he worked for the weekly Al-Mujtamaa. It was when he returned to Egypt at the beginning of this year that he became the managing editor of Al-Shaab, which has been published solely on the Internet since 2000 (at www.alshaab.com).