In battle for rights, Egypt's journalists face off with parliament
Egypt's parliament is offering a weak show of support for its country's journalists following a raid on the Press Syndicate May 1.
CAIRO — Thousands of Egypt's journalists are calling for the interior minister to resign after ordering a May 1 raid on the Press Syndicate building in Cairo.
At an emergency meeting of the union's general assembly May 4 — the day after World Press Freedom Day — syndicate members also demanded that parliament expedite legislation to protect freedom of expression. The stalled legislation calls for punishing those who abuse journalists and forbidding imprisonment in cases concerning publishing.
Al-Monitor attended the emergency meeting, where the union also called for restrictions on the public prosecutor's ability to issue gag orders in certain cases. The prosecutor forbade the Press Syndicate from publishing any news related to the arrest of journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud al-Saqa during the May 1 raid.
The parliament has been officially silent about the raid. Egyptian parliament members had various stances; some supported the Ministry of Interior, while others backed the journalists.
