Al Jazeera journalist sentenced [6 months in prison by Egyptian court for film about police torture]

english.aljazeera.net ^ | 05-02-2007 | staff writer

[bedolido]

An al Jazeera journalist has been sentenced to six months in prison in absentia by an Egyptian court after producing a film highlighting police torture.

Howayda Taha was not in Cairo to hear the court's sentence against her [AP]

An al Jazeera journalist has been sentenced to six months in prison in absentia by an Egyptian court after producing a film highlighting police torture.

The state security criminal court found Howayda Taha guilty of "harming Egypt's national interest" and ordered her on Wednesday to pay a fine of 30,000 Egyptian pounds ($5,200).

She had been accused of planning to broadcast fabricated images.

[coloradan]

She had been accused of planning to broadcast fabricated images.

Not so for Reuters, which actually did publish many fabricated images.

[untrained skeptic]

Notice how they fail to mention that she was charged because she used fabricated images in the title or first two paragraphs.

They want people to believe that this is just the Egyptian government silencing someone who is exposing them for torturing people.

However, it appears that this "journalist" was instead exposed as a liar.

[Almondjoy]

If this was America then I would agree with you. This is Egypt we are talking about and they aren’t exactly up to speed on human rights you know?

I’m not saying she did or didn’t lie.. but don’t treat Egypt like America.

[untrained skeptic]

If this was America then I would agree with you. This is Egypt we are talking about and they aren’t exactly up to speed on human rights you know?

I’m not saying she did or didn’t lie.. but don’t treat Egypt like America.

You make a very valid point. I don't disagree with it.

I also suspect that the Egyptian government and the reporters working for Al Jazeera define torture differently.

However, lots of reporters say unfavorable things about the Egyptian government, but don't get charged and tried in absentia for it.

I think that the Egyptian government has more credibility on this particular point that Al Jazeera does.

I have a very low opinion of people who claim to be advocates of the public, and then try and influence the public by lying to them.

Egypt doesn't have a good record on human rights. So why does this reporter need to use falsified pictures to support their claims against the Egyptian government? Isn't the truth convincing enough?

The media, especially Al Jazeera, will try and make this out to be a free speech issue. Free speech protections are there to allow people to express opinions, and expose falsehoods, not to allow people to propagate falsehoods without fear of consequence.