VZCZCXRO8347
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #1447/01 2091448
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 281448Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3280
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 001447 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ELA AND DRL/NESCA 
NSC FOR KUMAR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2029 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM EG
SUBJECT: RECENT GOE ACTIONS TO SUPPRESS CRITICAL OPINION 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 1332 
     ¶B. CAIRO 1263 
     ¶C. CAIRO 930 
     ¶D. CAIRO 504 
     ¶E. CAIRO 79 
 
Classified By: Economic-Political Minister-Counselor 
Donald A. Blome for reason 1.4 (d). 
 
¶1. KEY POINTS 
 
-- (C) A recent series of selective GOE actions against 
journalists, bloggers and even an amateur poet illustrates 
the variety of methods available to the GOE to suppress 
critical opinion, including an array of investigative 
authorities and public and private legal actions. 
 
-- (U) A journalist was jailed on defamation charges for the 
first time in recent memory, and an amateur poet was 
imprisoned for three months for allegedly defaming President 
Mubarak. 
 
-- (C) The GOE arrested three Muslim Brotherhood 
(MB)-affiliated bloggers, and has repeatedly used the 
Emergency Law to block a court ordered release of another 
jailed blogger. 
 
-- (C) The government is working with NDP operatives to flood 
the courts with suits against political enemies, using 
tactics such as fabricating assault charges against a 
journalist and filing a profanity case against a novelist. 
 
-- (C) The GOE's actions are examples of where it decides to 
draw redlines in an environment featuring frequent press 
articles and blogs critical of both the regime and President 
Mubarak. 
 
-- (C) These GOE actions, combined with arrests of MB 
officials (septel), could be the start of an attempt to 
tighten the political environment in advance of the 2010 
parliamentary elections. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
Proactive Security Forces and an Unfortunate Amateur Poet 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
 
¶2. (C) The recent case in XXXXXXXXXXXXX (XXXXXXXXXXXX miles XXXXXXXXXXXX of Cairo) of XXXXXXXXXXXXX, a local government clerk arrested, convicted and jailed for writing unpublished poetry allegedly insulting to President Mubarak, illustrates how proactive 
security forces and courts can successfully move against a 
civilian defended by incompetent lawyers.  In late June, the 
Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) issued a 
statement that police in XXXXXXXXXXXXXX arrested XXXXXXXXXXXXXX in April for defaming Mubarak in a poem, and a local court subsequently sentenced him to three years in prison.  According to the statement, the court set bail at LE 100,000 (15,000 USD) pending appeal, and since XXXXXXXXXXXX could not afford that sum, he remained in jail.  Skilled Cairo-based lawyers from ANHRI 
appealed the case, and a Minya appeals court acquitted XXXXXXXXXXX July 18; he was released July 20.  XXXXXXXXXXXX might still be in jail if his original defense lawyers had not sought help. 
 
¶3. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXXX told us he was not 
aware of the case until June when lawyers from Minya 
contacted him to help with the appeal.  XXXXXXXXXXXXX attributed the conviction in part to the poor skills of the defense lawyers. 
 The case remained virtually unknown until the days leading 
up to the July 18 appeal verdict when the local and 
international press began reporting on it.  Until mid-July, 
even our contacts specializing in freedom of expression were 
unaware of the case.  Following XXXXXXXXXXXX's release from prison, XXXXXXXXXX appeared on Egyptian satellite television and said XXXXXXXXXXXXX would not write any more poetry critical of the government. XXXXXXXXXXXX also criticized lawyers from Minya for not defending him aggressively out of fear of the GOE's response. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Arresting and Harassing Bloggers 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) In a blogging environment often critical of the 
government, the GOE has selectively moved against certain 
bloggers.  Most recently, the GOE arrested three young, 
Muslim Brotherhood (MB)-affiliated bloggers.  XXXXXXXXXXXXX 
confirmed for us July 27 that State Security Investigative 
Services (SSIS) arrested bloggers XXXXXXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXXXXXXX at Cairo International Airport 
 
CAIRO 00001447  002 OF 002 
 
 
following their return from a conference in XXXXXXXXXXXX.  XXXXXXXXXXXX also confirmed that SSIS arrested a third blogger, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, at his home on XXXXXXXXXXX, and that all three bloggers remained in detention.  The MB website reported XXXXXXXXXXX that the GOE released XXXXXXXXXXXXX that day.  The three bloggers have criticized trials of MB members in military courts and have voiced support for MB detainees.  Our contacts have asserted that the GOE fears young, tech-savvy MB-affiliated bloggers 
because of their ability to generate mass support for the 
Brotherhood and organize rallies and other events via the 
internet.  Contacts attributed the arrest and torture of 
young MB-blogger XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX in XXXXXXXXXXXX(refs D, E) to these factors.  Police released XXXXXXXXXXXXX in XXXXXXXXXXXX (ref D). 
 
¶5. (C) Prominent blogger XXXXXXXXXXXX ran afoul of the GOE by 
publicly criticizing the regime in late June at a conference 
in XXXXXXXXXXXXX (ref B).  XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, who was held at XXXXXXXXXXXX International Airport XXXXXXXXXX for 13 hours upon his return, told us XXXXXXXXXXXXXX that police have still not returned his laptop.  Hafez Abu Seada, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights which is representing XXXXXXXXXXXX, told us July 22 that the police have not responded to his organization's inquiries beyond saying that they are holding 
the laptop to search for "intellectual property violations." 
XXXXXXXXXXXXX had told us that NDP members attending the same 
conference in XXXXXXXXXXXXX  reported his critical comments to the 
GOE. 
 
¶6. (C) The GOE is using the Emergency Law to reject court 
orders for the release of blogger XXXXXXXXXXXXXX whom SSIS has 
kept in jail since XXXXXXXXXXXXXX for allegedly insulting both 
Islam and Christianity (ref C).  XXXXXXXXXXXXX's lawyer XXXXXXXXXXX told us that the Interior Ministry rejected a XXXXXXXXXXXXX court order to release XXXXXXXXXXXXX, and since SSIS made the arrest under the Emergency Law, neither the courts nor attorneys have any recourse.  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX commented that this is the fifth time the MOI 
has refused to follow court decisions ordering XXXXXXXXXXXXX's 
release. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
GOE Actions Against a Novelist and Journalists 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶7. (C) The GOE and NDP operatives have stepped up their 
efforts to file lawsuits against political opponents.  Human 
Rights attorney XXXXXXXXXXXXX told us in late June that he 
is defending the leading independent newspaper "Al-Masry 
Al-Youm" against more than 70 defamation suits, most of which 
have been filed by NDP loyalists.  XXXXXXXXXXXXX is also defending 
XXXXXXXXXXXXX author of XXXXXXXXXXXXX against a government suit alleging that the work is profane.  XXXXXXXXXXXXX said the MOI filed the profanity suit as a pretext to punish the author for the novel's criticism of the NDP and of MOI heavy-handed police tactics against 
demonstrators.  The profanity suit focuses on one relatively 
explicit sex scene and the use of expletives.  XXXXXXXXXXXXX said 
such content is common in books and magazines, and almost 
never incurs suits.  The trial is currently adjourned until 
the fall. 
 
¶8. (C) EOHR Secretary-General Hafez Abu Seada told us in 
early July that he is defending XXXXXXXXXXXXX, a journalist 
from the weekly newspaper XXXXXXXXXXXXX whom he said the 
Interior Ministry has targeted for writing a series of 
articles critical of the minister and other senior MOI 
officials.  Abu Seada said an Interior Ministry general 
confronted XXXXXXXXXXXXX on the street as a pretext for filing 
charges against him for allegedly "assaulting" an officer. 
The Arab Network for Human Rights Information issued a 
statement July 13 criticizing the police for breaking into 
XXXXXXXXXXXXX's home six times between July 10 and 11. 
 
¶9. (C) In mid-July, police arrested Yasser Barakat, 
editor-in-chief of the independent paper "Al-Moagaz," to 
implement a June 24 court decision convicting him of defaming 
independent MP and SSIS confidante Mustafa Bakry.  In the 
first instance in recent memory of a journalist jailed for 
defamation, Barakat spent 5 days in jail before his July 11 
release pending appeal, following lobbying by the Press 
Syndicate (ref A).  Contacts have told us that SSIS was able 
to provide political cover to support Bakry in his 
long-running personal feud against Barakat. 
Tueller 

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