Stop Eissa's trial

Last March, Ibrahim Eissa, chief editor of the independent daily newspaper al-Dostour, was sentenced to six months in prison on charges that his reporting on the health of President Mubarak in August 2007 was damaging to public interest and national security. вEissaвs prosecution shows how Egyptвs authorities shamelessly use the courts to punish outspoken journalists,в said Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York based NGO. вThe court should dismiss this politically motivated case once and for all.в
Since then, Eissa has appealed the sentence and is due to appear before the Court of Appeals on Saturday, June 7th. At this time, we the undersigned, find it crucial to reiterate this request to dismiss the case and to state our convictions as follows:

1. We believe that Eissa is facing an unfair trial driven not by the ethics of journalism, but by the governmentвs adamant effort to repress investigative journalism and freedom of expression.
2. The allegation that reporting on the presidentвs health constitutes a threat to national security marks grave problems with the countryвs political system and institutional structure. We believe that such problems need to be addressed regardless of the current status of the presidentвs health.
3. We strongly believe that a sentence that incriminates Eissa in this trial will prove that the governmentвs repressive efforts have themselves become a threat to the long upheld integrity of the Egyptian judiciary system.

We, therefore, urgently appeal to Egyptвs Prime Minister, Ahmad Nazif and to the members of the Egyptian cabinet that all measures be taken to stop this trial. We regard the immediate dismissal of the charges against Eissa as the only means to prove the fortitude of the Egyptian judiciary system, and its resolve to uphold the principles of justice and due process in the face of all forms of corruption and repression.