Eygpt: State Security Agents Arrest Website Editor
Via Reporters sans Frontières.
Reporters Without Borders voiced concern today about the detention of Ahmed Mahmoud Abdallah, the second website or blog editor to be arrested since late October, and called for his immediate release. A former editor of Al-Shaab, an opposition newspaper that was closed down, he was arrested on 5 December in Cairo by members of the Amn-El-Dawla state security agency.
“Website journalists and bloggers should enjoy the same legal protection and respect as journalists working for traditional media,” the press freedom organisation said. “The decision to arrest a journalist or blogger is serious and should only be taken in the course of transparent judicial proceedings, which was not the case with the two arrests of website and blog editors of the past six weeks.”
Abdallah, who is better known as Abu-Islam Ahmed Abdallah, edits the news website Balady Net. He has also written many books and is a member of the Union of Egyptian Journalists. He was arrested while at the Centre for Islamic Enlightenment, which he heads. Before going to his office, the state security agents searched his home, confiscating notes, books and computer disks.
He is being held at the office of a prosecutor attached to the state security agency. His website has been shut down.
posted by Fergie @ 12/07/2005 05:20:00 PM
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