CAIRO: The Nozha Misdemeanour court, yesterday, meted out a six-month prison sentence with labour, a fine of LE 20,000 and bail of LE 10,000 to Howayda Taha, the Al Jazeera producer who made a documentary about police abuse in Egypt.
Taha, who is now in Qatar, refused to comment on the court’s final decision and told The Daily Star Egypt in a phone interview that she was given instructions from her lawyer not to speak with the media until her defence team discusses the issue.
“I can’t comment on anything or say any information before my lawyers decides what we will do next, Taha told The Daily Star Egypt.
Taher Abu El Nasr, a lawyer at the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, says the defence team will file an appeal within 10 days and present it to the court, which will then decide on a court session to oversee the case.
Ahmed El Ghazy, a lawyer with the Egyptian Organization for the Human Rights, says the six-month prison sentence was punishment for the first charge against Taha, which is the violation of Article 80/D of the penal code that relates to transgressions considered to be threatening to the country s national interests.
He added that the fine of LE 20,000 was the penalty for other charges, including the possession and transfer of falsified graphics that “tarnish Egypt’s reputation and image. The LE 10,000 bail was already paid to the prosecution when police forces arrested Taha in the airport last January,
“The defence team will examine basis on which the court issued the decision and prepare an appeal, even though the court has previously rejected 11 requests from the team in the last session, says El Ghazy.
He said Taha is expected to come back to Cairo next week, when the defence team will present its appeal.
“Taha’s presence in Cairo is obligatory while presenting the appeal, otherwise the court’s decision will be implemented, says El Ghazy.
Ramadan Mohamed, Taha’s husband, commented on the final hearing saying there is no justice in Egypt, but that he was forced to say there is.
“I don’t think that was fair by any means, but I must say the justice in this country in fair. The accusations are related to threatening Egypt’s national interest and tarnishing its image. How come the court’s decision would be simply a six-month penalty prison for such a huge crime? If they are genuinely fair, they would have decided on a harsher penalty, or not decide on a penalty at all, Mohamed told The Daily Star Egypt.
Taha had been working on a documentary about alleged police torture in Egypt when she was detained at Cairo International Airport as she waited to board a plane for Doha on Jan. 8.
The controversial film “Wara El Shams or “Beyond the Sun , was aired on Al-Jazeera Documentary channel in mid-April.
