The Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party will pursue legal action against Al-Dostour Newspaper, charging the daily with slander, libel and defamation for an article alleging the FJP was planning to assassinate nearly 200 public officials.
The article published on 21 June alleged that the FJP planned to plant members of its party in areas like Tahrir Square and Mostafa Mahmoud Square to deliberately incite youth to violence in order to draw the ire- and perhaps strong arm response of authorities.
It is a tactic, the newspaper claimed, that would sow instability and street-level action should the FJP candidate, Mohamed Morsi, not be declared president.
The article claimed to have become privy to “the minute details of an emergency meeting between the leaders of the Freedom and Justice Party.” It also stated the Brotherhood’s party had made plans to “order Bedouin groups to attack checkpoints in Sinai to facilitate the entry of Hamas members and Iranian revolutionary guards to help them stage a coup against the armed forces and the president.” The article also suggested that among the plans was a plot to assassinate more than 200 public figures simultaneously in order to sow fear and panic.
Deputy Head of the FJP Essam El-Erian said the report was “all lies,” and it was intended to tarnish the image of the party and its candidate. He added that the newspaper had “adopted the same policies used by the former regime and its security apparatus.”
In a statement on the Brotherhood website El-Erian also pleaded with media covering Egyptian politics to adhere to professional ethics and objectivity, and called on journalists to thoroughly investigate claims about the FJP in order to avoid inaccuracy.
The allegations are a stark contrast to the image the FJP has worked hard to present, one that promises inclusion and gradual progress. On Saturday, Mohamed Morsi held a press conference where he announced “With the revolutionary spirit and vitality persisting positively, peacefully, in Tahrir Square, we continue our discourse, seeking public good and national stability.”
The accusations come against a backdrop of intense speculations about the intentions of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing. Unverified reports of meetings between SCAF and Muslim Brotherhood representatives plague the organisation daily, largely driven by suspicions that the group is trying to cut a deal that would be mutually beneficial for the military and the MB.
The accusations serve to exacerbate the current confusion plaguing the elections. Al-Dostour is the only publication so far that has reported this potential “massacre of the century in Egypt”, but the credibility of their charge is hampered by the absence of any named sources.
Tag: Al-Dostour
-
FJP refutes Al-Dostour ‘mass assassination’ claims
-
FJP refutes Al-Dostour claims
Dr. Essam El-Erian, Vice Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party speaks to the press The Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party will pursue legal action against Al-Dostour Newspaper, charging the daily with slander, libel and defamation for an article alleging the FJP was planning to assassinate nearly 200 public officials.
The article published Thursday (21 June) alleged that the FJP planned to plant members of its party in areas like Tahrir Square and Mostafa Mahmoud Square to deliberately incite youth to violence in order to draw the ire- and perhaps strong arm response of authorities.
It is a tactic, the newspaper claimed, that would sow instability and street-level action should the FJP candidate, Mohamed Morsi, not be declared president.
The article claimed to have become privy to “the minute details of an emergency meeting between the leaders of the Freedom and Justice Party.” It also stated the Brotherhood’s party had made plans to “order Bedouin groups to attack checkpoints in Sinai to facilitate the entry of Hamas members and Iranian revolutionary guards to help them stage a coup against the armed forces and the president.” The article also suggested that among the plans was a plot to assassinate more than 200 public figures simultaneously in order to sow fear and panic.
Deputy Head of the FJP Essam El-Erian said the report was “all lies,” and it was intended to tarnish the image of the party and its candidate. He added that the newspaper had “adopted the same policies used by the former regime and its security apparatus.”
-
Al-Dostor staff rejects agreement negotiated by syndicate head
By Marwa Al-A’asar
CAIRO: A proposed settlement to end the ongoing Al-Dostor standoff has been rejected by around half the independent daily’s staff.
Owner of Al-Dostor Reda Edward and Journalists’ Syndicate Chairman Makram Mohamed Ahmed signed Monday a settlement meant to end the ongoing crisis between staff and the paper’s new management. However, more than 60 journalists — about 50 percent of the staff — have reportedly rejected the agreement altogether, deciding instead to continue their open strike inside the syndicate.
“We were not a party in this agreement … [which] did not consider our demands,” journalist Mohamed Mahdy told Daily News Egypt.
“The agreement only included two of our demands, hiring the interns and setting a payroll system,” he added.
The journalists’ nine requests presented earlier last month included the return of sacked chief editor Ibrahim Eissa and executive editor-in-chief Ibrahim Mansour, the staff being represented on the board by two members as well as maintaining the editorial policy of the newspaper.
“There are no items in the agreement that guarantee the [consistency] of the editorial policy,” journalist Hazem Fouad argued. “After signing the agreement, [Ahmed]… did not listen to us … saying that … [we] should manage the situation [ourselves] with Edward [from now on],” Mahdy noted.
Last week, 10 journalists were reportedly fired by Edward due to missing work for more days than what is legally permitted. Edward also accused them of inciting their colleagues against him and the other owners.
On Saturday, the syndicate board held an emergency meeting in a bid to contain the situation. Following the meeting, Ahmed, accompanied by two syndicate officials, reportedly visited Edward at his office and outlined a number of terms to be included in the agreement.
“We were surprised [to hear] that Edward visited Ahmed and they signed the agreement in secret without getting back to us first,” Fouad said.
“When a number of journalists shouted slogans against [Ahmed after the agreement was signed], he told them ‘go and find somebody else to get your rights then,’” Fouad recalled.
According to syndicate board member Gamal Fahmy, “the journalists have the right to reject the agreement since it did not [meet their demands].”
“The problem is that the syndicate chairman should have listened to [the colleagues] with regards to the memo they presented,” which outlined their requests, Fahmy added.
The crisis first erupted in October when the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Ibrahim Eissa, an outspoken critic of the current regime, was fired almost one month after the paper come under the ownership of Al-Sayed Al-Badawy, the head of Al-Wafd opposition party, and Edward, also the chairman of a chain of international schools.
A few days after Eissa was fired, Al-Badawy sold his shares in the newspaper to Edward and has repeatedly told the media that he was not behind Eissa’s job termination. Since the crisis began, the new management has been publishing the newspaper from a new location without the direct input of Al-Dostor’s reporters.
In several media interviews, Eissa alleged that the new management frequently interfered in the editorial policy of the newspaper, which stirred tension between the two parties.
