Egyptian paper editor spared jail for defaming president

CAIRO: An Egyptian appeals court on Tuesday overturned a one-year jail term on newspaper editor Ibrahim Eissa, convicted of defaming President Hosni Mubarak, and substituted a fine of LE 22,500. In his writings in the weekly newspaper Al-Dustour, Eissa had accused Mubarak of selling off state enterprises too cheaply and squandering foreign aid. Eissa s frontpage columns have regularly attacked Mubarak and his family. Human rights groups had criticized the one-year jail sentence, issued by a lower court last June, and said it was part of a pattern of trying to silence critics. Eissa remained out of jail on bail while the appeal went through.