VIENNA: Press watchdog IPI called on Monday for the acquittal of an Egyptian journalist accused of insulting a minister, as it stressed the need for freedom of opinion ahead of elections next year.
"We are deeply concerned that this case will go before a criminal court, and hope that the judge will acquit Hamdi Qandil of this crime," International Press Institute (IPI) spokesman Anthony Mills said in a statement.
Qandil, a prominent opposition journalist, is accused of "insulting and libeling a public servant or citizen performing their work," following comments he made about Egypt’s foreign minister, a judicial source said in Cairo.
Qandil could now face prison or a fine if found guilty.
"Journalists should not have to operate in the shadow of criminal defamation laws, especially those explicitly protecting public servants, whose activities fall within the public interest," Mills said.
"Particularly in a pre-election period it is crucial that Egyptians have free access to a diversity of opinions and news," he added.
Egypt is due to hold parliamentary elections this November and presidential elections next year.
Qandil, who was the spokesman for a reform group headed by the former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei, said he believed the case was "political."
"This does not have to go to court," he told AFP. "His statements are always criticized in the media. I believe there is a political agenda behind this."
Qandil is known for his scathing criticism of Arab regimes. A TV show he used to host was halted more than once in several TV satellite channels.
Many restrictions on the independent press in Egypt were lifted in the past decade, but media rights activists say they still face censorship and spurious libel suits. –Additional reporting by Daily News Egypt.
