Head of the Press Syndicate Abdelmohsen Salama announced on Sunday that he has requested a meeting with prosecutor general Nabil Sadek to discuss why detained journalists were released on bail, reported state owned Middle East News Agency (MENA).
The syndicate has sent a formal request for the meeting and to sign a protocol with the prosecution concerning journalists’ imprisonment in publishing cases.
Salama said that journalists imprisoned in such cases are released on bail, although a verdict should not exceed a fine and there is no legal punishment of imprisonment in publishing cases.
The number of imprisoned journalists in publishing cases is unverified, however, Salama mentioned in a televised interview with privately owned channel Extra News that all imprisoned journalists in Egypt are held on charges for crimes rather than publishing cases.
In May, Salama met with the Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar, and expressed the latter’s interest in enhancing relations between the two institutions in several topics, adding that he was interested in “opening a new page” between them.
Police forces stormed the Press Syndicate to arrest journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud Al-Saqa in May 2016, before Salama was elected, on accusations of posting “false information” on Facebook about the case widely known as the “Red Sea Islands” case.
The arrest resulted in several protests by journalists in the syndicate, as well as the general assembly of the syndicate, which demanded the release of all imprisoned journalists and an “official apology” from President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi and the ouster of Abdel-Ghaffar.
Salama stated during the Syndicate’s board elections that he was against the syndicate bust. The recently elected board’s first statement was a demand for investigations into the alleged violations committed by the Ministry of Interior when it stormed the syndicate.
