Stay updated with breaking news from Free Current. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Hisham Kassem to serve 6 months in prison, pay $650 fine for alleged slander of ex-minister; sole presidential election campaigner Ahmed al-Tantawi says phone bugged by authorities
Hisham Kassem was convicted of libel and slander against a former cabinet minister and verbally assaulting officers at a police station after he was detained, lawyer says
A court in Cairo on Saturday sentenced prominent publisher and activist Hisham Kassem, who had recently stepped up his criticism of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's rule, to six months in prison, his lawyer said. The movement has appealed for political change to address an economic crisis and said it could field a candidate in presidential elections due to be held by early 2024. Kassem was convicted of libel and slander against a former cabinet minister and verbally assaulting officers at a poli
August 2023 in MENA: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Naseem Tarawnah, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Egyptian opposition leader Hisham Kassem has begun a hunger strike while he stands trial on slander and verbal assault charges, his lawyer said on Saturday. The publisher had been charged last month with slander of a former minister, then later also charged with verbally assaulting officers at a police station after he was brought in, charges his allies say are politically motivated. The arrest of Kassem, who previously published the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, came after he made sharp criticisms of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and founded a liberal coalition called al-Tayar al-Hu...