Journalists Syndicate refutes alleged slander of Armed Forces by HR lawyer

Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate refuted the use of slander against the Armed Forces in a public statement, following a controversial video published by Al-Bawaba News portal, in which human rights lawyer Amr Imam reportedly described soldiers as “dogs.”

The Freedoms Committee at the Journalists Syndicate issued a statement on Tuesday, affirming their support for the Armed Forces and refuting the use of slander during political conferences, which they say detracts from serious dialogue, state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

The syndicate’s reaction followed the Al-Bawaba News portal’s broadcast of a video of human rights lawyer and member of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, Amr Imam, titled “Amr Imam describes soldiers as dogs.”

The syndicate’s statement read, “We’re sorry that one of the speakers at a conference held on Monday, to mark a year since the issuing of the Protest Law, used inappropriate words, despite our emphasis on the importance of dialogue beforehand.”

Imam told Mada Masr that the reaction to his statement was unjustified and disproportionate. He explained that his description of the soldier was in the context of a larger story, told as an example of the militarization of the state.

“Calling the soldier a dog was against him as a sexual harasser and not in his official capacity. It shouldn’t make a difference if you’re military personnel or a civilian in these cases,” said Imam, who added that he plans to file a request for the right of reply with Al-Bawaba.

The incident of harassment in question, according to Imam, involved a family assaulted at a military-owned gas station following a verbal altercation that escalated quickly. A woman was reportedly sexually harassed and the family physically assaulted and detained for a brief period of time.

Imam alleges the news portal “removed a segment of my 15-minute long speech to claim I was insulting soldiers and instigating violence against the army.” If the newspaper refuses his right to reply, he said he would file a lawsuit against them in a personal capacity, not as a human rights lawyer, as he is against libel cases that restrict freedom of expression. 

Imam said he stands by his critique of “crushing anyone who dares use his power to assault citizens,” and would not change his opinion of Egypt’s authorities, who he said “remain tyrannical, oppressive and fascist.”

The syndicate added, “We warn against some people’s attempts to use what happened to distract from the main issue, which is the need to amend the Protest Law,” adding that the law in its current form is unacceptable.

“The Syndicate will continue to guard freedoms in our country against all oppressive laws, while defending the wronged and prisoners of conscience, as well as continuing our original mission, which is protecting journalists and supporting their interests.”

Imam ridiculed the syndicate’s remarks regarding freedom of expression. “If they were truly defenders of freedom of expression, as they claim, they would defend my right to say what I want. But banning me, and Alaa Abd El Fattah before me, from entering the syndicate means they are still ruled by the security apparatus,” he elaborated.

Earlier in September, political activist Alaa Abd El Fattah was banned from entering the syndicate by chairperson Diaa Rashwan.

Rashwan’s decision followed a press conference held at the syndicate following Abd El Fattah’s release from jail in the Shura Council case. Abd El Fattah had shouted angry slogans that he said he and hundreds of detainees had recited on the streets before.

Renowned journalist and member of the syndicate board, Khaled al-Balshy, criticized the banning of Abd El Fattah without consulting other members of the board.