I received the following statement from HR-INFO, regarding the renewed crack down on the Egyptian blogosphere:
After attacking HRinfo’s copy rights
Judge Abdel Fattah Murad calls for blocking HRinfo’s website and 20 other websitesCairo, 10 March 2007
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) condemned today news published by Rozal Youssef Newspaper on 2 March 2007 on Judge Abdel Fattah Murad taking a case against the Egyptian government calling for the blocking of 21 Egyptian websites, claiming that they tarnish the reputation of the Egyptian government and insult the Egyptian president.
According to the news story published on the first page, Judge Abdel Fattah Murad, head of the Alexandria Appeal Court, raised a case before the State Council Court against the Prime Minister, Ministers of Information, Communication, Justice, and Interior, and the Public Prosecutor demanding a court sentence committing the Prime Minister to shut down 21 websites and blogs because these sites include reports tarnishing the reputation or Egypt and insulting the Egyptian president.
The news story, which was not denied by the judge despite that the story was published 8 days ago, says that the judges is calling for the shut down of the websites of Nahdat Misr newspaper, HRinfo, Al-Ghadd newspaper, Kefaya, Good News company, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), and Iraqi News Agency, In addition to some blogs, such as Annals of the Trees Owner, One of the Humans, Egyptian Girl, The Nation is Fatima, and other human rights and news websites.
“We were not ruling out that the Judge who disregards the copy rights of others will not call for the blocking of human rights and news websites that have posted information on the incident of plagiarizing the work of others. Most of these websites have supported HRinfo’s stance in defending its right”, HRinfo Executive Director, Gamal Eid said.
“The Juge’s attempts through several phone calls failed to dissuade HRinfo from its demand that the judge publish an apology for his actions that are in contradiction to the values of scientific research and respect of copy rights. The judge has re-published large parts of HRinfo’s report on freedom to use the Internet in the Arab world in his book without referring to the source. In addition, he distorted the content of the report. His attempts to threaten and instill fear in us will fail as well. We defend the right to freedom of expression and our rights despite who is violating such rights”, Eid added.
It is worth mentioning that HRinfo insisted that the Judge provide a written apology for plagiarizing content of a HRinfo report on freedom to use the Internet in the Arab World. HRinfo also demanded that the Judges Club take all necessary steps to amend the violated rights. HRinfo and other supportive organizations announced that it will accept any procedure taken by the Judges Club with regards to this issue, before HRinfo requests the Public Prosecutor and the Supreme Council for Judges to lift the immunity of the Judge and put him on trial for violating copy rights by plagiarizing nearly 50 pages of HRinfo’s report.
“We have granted the Judge a long period to amend his crime. However, he preferred to take the path of threats by raising this case to dissuade us from demanding out rights. We are proud of the Egyptian Judiciary and are confident that they will understand any steps that we take soon so that the Jude becomes an example to others who violate copy rights. The crime is worse when the violator is a Judge, supposedly to be the first to defend such rights”, Eid said.
“We will raise a case against this judge as a citizen who has violated our copy rights and distorted our report for the sake of financial profit”, he added.
HRinfo is aiming to take all the necessary legal steps against the Judge for him to be punished for his crime and in order to amend any violation.