Egypt to jail torture critic
May 3rd, 2007
American ally Egypt, has sentenced Al-Jazeera reporter Huwaida Taha Mitwalli
to six months in prison on charges of “possessing and giving false pictures about the internal situation in Egypt that could undermine the dignity of the country” in connection with an Al-Jazeera documentary she made about torture in Egypt. The court also fined her 20,000 Egyptian pounds (US$3,518). An Egyptian national, Taha is currently free on bail in Qatar, pending appeal.
Human Rights Watch has more background on the case:
Husain `Abd al-Ghani, Al-Jazeera’s bureau chief in Cairo, told reporters the videotapes showed documentary reenactments of torture in Egyptian detention facilities. The arrest follows public outcry over a series of videotapes apparently depicting prisoner abuse in Egyptian detention facilities, including one tape showing a Cairo microbus driver being raped in police custody.
Entry Filed under: Human Rights, Media, Middle East, Torture
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