State TV anchor Azza Al-Henawy will appeal her suspension from work, her lawyer Ahmed Abdel Naby told Daily News Egypt on Sunday.
Al-Henawy was suspended last Sunday and referred to investigations after criticising the official response to the flood crisis in Alexandria. She is currently accused of “violating ethical conduct by expressing her own views”.
According to her lawyer, the Maspero administration banned his entry during investigations and any other lawyers, which is a violation of Maspero’s code of conduct.
“All anchors express their views on TV, but they never get suspended because their views are supporting the state,” Abdel Naby commented.
He also said a series of exceptional measures were taken against Al-Henawy, which are all considered violations of her legal right to defence.
Al-Henawy was also banned from entering the building, her work place, despite these violations. The lawyer also said the director of Channel 3, where she used to work, suspended her from appearing on TV before the investigations end.
“We hope reconciliation could take place through our appeal, between Azza and her management and that she can go back to work soon,” he concluded.
Al-Henawy works for Al-Qahera Channel, formerly known as Channel 3. She dedicated the last four minutes of her last show to review the official response to the floods which took over Alexandria, as well as other cities, since the beginning of November.
During her show, she directed a message to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi: “As long as there is no accountability mechanism for all officials in the country, including you, all your promises will go in vain.”
A hash-tag is trending in Egypt on Twitter expressing solidarity with Al-Henawy and denouncing curbs on media freedom in Egypt.
