Egypt’s Shura Council is satisfied that the current laws provide ample guarantees for freedom of the press, while ruling out new laws to rein in the country’s lively tabloid industry, the daily Al Gomhuria said on Monday.
According to the consultative body, there are more than 10 clauses in the Constitution affirming the freedom of the press, ruling out the need for new laws that could end up limiting this freedom.
Egypt has witnessed a rash of suits and counter-suits in recent months, mainly centered on alleged slander against members of the Coptic Christian minority.
The Copts, who make up about 16 percent of the population, rioted in Cairo this spring after a tabloid printed a fabricated account of a monk’s sex-and-blackmail ring.
Speakers at a meeting of the council’s cultural, information and tourism committee reiterated that the press code of ethics released in 1998 was to some extent unimplemented, and should be fully applied.
They also warned against the domination of business interests over newspapers, and the possible use by some businessmen of tabloids for defaming their enemies – Albawaba.com
