By Leena El-Deeb
The Al-Dostour party welcomed the 21 July decision of the interim cabinet to suspend sentencing prison terms for the charge of “insulting the president”, instead fining those found guilty, in a statement published on the party’s website on 23 July.
The party called on the government to continue towards the abolition of the charge of “insulting the president”, according to their statement.
“’Insult’ is a very vague word that has no precise definition,” the party said, adding that as a public employee, the president should be protected by existing rules against libel and defamation.
“Criminal trials and arrests should stop and be substituted with civil litigation, like all democratic regimes in the world,” the statement concluded.
Ahmed Douma, political activist, was charged for “insulting the president” last April, along with several political activists who were sentenced to prison for this crime.
Al-Dostour, founded under the slogan of Bread, freedom, social justice and human dignity, is headed by Vice President of Foreign Affairs Mohamed ElBaradei.
The party called on the government to continue towards the abolition of the charge of “insulting the president”, according to their statement.
