Thursday March 28th, 2024
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Egypt's Parliament Sues Journalist Ibrahim Eissa for Criticizing its Policies

Ibrahim Eissa, an influential high-profile journalist and former talk show host, was accused of tarnishing the Parliament's reputation after he spoke up in opposition to its policies.

Staff Writer

Egypt's parliament has decided to back representative Mortada Mansour’s complaint, which will legally compel the Prosecutor General to launch an investigation into the high-profile journalist and former talk show host Ibrahim Eissa. Mansour claims that Eissa has “insulted the parliament,” while MP Moustafa Bakry explained to Al Ahram that Eissa is being investigated for "ongoing attempts to tarnish the parliament's image."

The controversial journalist and TV host has been an outspoken critic of Parliament's policies. In his latest piece in El Maqal newspaper, he referred to the Parliament as a cartoonish figure, void of authority. This provoked Bakry to back Mansour’s complaint and initiate the Parliament's debate, leading to the ruling to take official measures against Eissa.

Parliament speaker, Ahmed Abdel Al assured Al Ahram that he agreed on the motion to prosecute the journalist because of his commitment to safeguard the entity's "dignity" against what he referred to as "hostile press."

In recent years, Egypt has often been listed as one of the world's worst countries for journalists, with increasing numbers of critical journalists being arrested, violating the Egyptian constitution.

(Photo of Parliament: IBT)