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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2007
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For more information:
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Letter on Behalf of Howayda Matwali
May 7, 2007
President Hosne Mubarak
c/o Embassy of Egypt
3521 International Court, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Dear President Mubarak:
We are writing on behalf of the International Women’s Media Foundation to express our alarm concerning the conviction of Al-Jazeera producer Howayda Matwali.
Matwali was convicted May 1 on charges of harming Egypt’s national interest and falsely depicting events for her work on a documentary exposing police abuse. She was fined and sentenced to six months in prison. Matwali, of Qatar, also works as a reporter for the London-based daily Al-Quds al-Arabi.
Matwali was arrested in January while the Arabic television channel was collecting material for the police feature. She was charged with damaging the country’s supreme interests and possessing fabricated video material that would damage Egypt’s reputation, with intent to broadcast it.
With the recent increase in such threats to journalists, and even deaths because of their work, we are alarmed that Matwali’s conviction signals more restrictions on free expression and press freedom in Egypt. All viewpoints should be allowed to be expressed in the media without force or coercion from authorities.
As a network of thousands of women and men in the media around the world who are supporters of a worldwide free press, we respectfully urge you to intervene to ensure that Matwali – who was simply engaged in carrying out her professional work – is exonerated. By using your power to ensure that justice is done in this case, you will take a strong step toward preserving a free and independent press in Egypt.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Clift, co-chair
Liza Gross, co-chair
cc: U.S. Embassy in Egypt
8 Kamal El Din Salah St.
Garden City
Cairo, Egypt
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