Two Egyptians arrested for religious opinion

Cairo, December 15, 2007

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information condemned the arrest two Egyptians from Madbouly Publishing house during their participation in Sudan Book Fair on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 on charges of abuse of Islam on the background of a book on “Aisha, the wife of Prophet Mohammed”. This arrest is a flagrant violation of freedom of opinion and expression.

The story goes back to Tuesday, December 11, 2007 when the state security services have arrested both Abdul Fattah Al Sadany (30 years - Egyptian) and Mahrous Mohammed Abdel-Azim (30 years - Egyptian) working in Madbouly Publishing House in Egypt, on the charges of harming the Islamic religion by selling a book that criticises Aisha, the wife of Prophet Mohammed during their participation in the International Sudan Book Fair.

The Sudanese Minister of Justice said - in press statements - that the defendants were selling a book called “A Mother that ate up her children” that includes phrases criticizing Prophet Mohamed “peace be upon him” and his wife, which led to the confiscation of the book from the Book Fair. The minister also explained that Article 125 of the Sudanese Penal Code — that the two defendants would be tried according to it & concerned with insulting religious beliefs and inciting hatred and contempt for religions - would punish the defendants by six months imprisonment and flogging 40 lashes and a fine. Today, the defendants are to be taken to the prosecutor to claim charges unto them. If found guilty, they will face the punishment of flogging and imprisonment penalties and a fine.

It is noteworthy that the book in question authored by Syrian writer Nabil Fayyad, issued by Dar al-Jamal for publication, based in London and that the book was already present in the wings of other publishing houses exhibition. But the cause of the problem for workers of Madbouly House is that a radical Islamist had bought the book, & in turn he informed the authorities against the defendants. The amazing fact here is that publishing house had already received permission of the Sudanese censorship allowing distribution of books, including the the book in question.

It is also noteworthy that the Sudanese Book Fair this year witnessed many harassments launched on a number of publishing houses, and the confiscation of numerous books and publications from publishing houses headquarters after subjecting them to repeated inspections and ongoing monitoring on the hands of censorship officials and State Security officers alike. As if the publishing houses were practicing a prohibited activity or as if they were criminals! Among the books confiscated the exhibition two books about the Shiites, a book called “Darfur, the history of war and genocide” published by the Horizons House for publication and distribution.

The Arabic Network monitoring this issue & would consider it a frank violation of freedom of opinion and expression & the Arabic Network sees no guarantees of a fair trial for the defendants, it is totally condemning the arrest of the 2 citizens mentioned, which is again another episode in the series of violation of freedom of expression in Sudan. And calls upon the Sudanese authorities for the immediate release of the defendants, just in the same way as the releasing of the British school teacher who was accused of the same charges earlier this month on the allegation of abusing Islam, but she has been released by the Sudanese authorities after the intervention of British officials and applying pressure on the Sudanese government to release them.

On the other hand, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information calls on the Egyptian Foreign Ministry to interfere seriously with the formal claim for immediate release of the defendants.

http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/20...