Egypt: Government's failure to shed light on editor's disappearance "deplorable", | Egypt |
17 October 2007
Government's failure to shed light on editor's disappearance
"deplorable",
says CPJ report
The Forgotten Man
A CPJ special report: An Egyptian editor disappears and no one can say
why
New York, October 17, 2007 - Four years ago, a senior editor at
Egypt's
leading state-run daily vanished in central Cairo. In a special
report,
"The Forgotten Man," the Committee to Protect Journalists traces the
last
known movements of editor Reda Helal, who disappeared on his way home
from
a routine workday at the prominent daily Al-Ahram. Some Egyptian
journalists believe Helal was a victim of an "enforced disappearance"
undertaken by domestic or foreign security agents, CPJ's Joel
Campagna
writes.
The report's release coincides with an Egyptian government crackdown on
the
press that has included a flurry of prosecutions and convictions of
outspoken journalists. CPJ has designated Egypt as one of the world's
worst
backsliders on press freedom, citing an increase in the number of
attacks
on the press over the past five years - including Helal's
disappearance.
"It is inconceivable that a journalist can simply vanish in the center
of
Cairo in broad daylight and for the authorities to say they have no
clues,"
CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. "The Egyptian government's
failure
to shed light on this alarming disappearance, or even to release its
findings after four years, is deplorable. We call on Egyptian
officials,
including President Mubarak, to provide answers."
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works
to
safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit
For further information, contact Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes
or
Research Associate Mohamed Keita at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York,
NY
10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail:
trhodes@cpj.org, mkeita@cpj.org, Internet: http://www.cpj.org/
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