Egyptian journalism group emphasises need for freedom of expression at National Dialogue

Syndicate chief Khaled El Balshy has urge the government to end jail terms and pretrial detention in cases related to publishing

Egypt's General Co-ordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan addresses delegates at a plenary session in Cairo. AFP

The head of Egypt’s journalism syndicate has called for an end to jail sentences and pretrial detentions for those working in the industry in cases related to publishing.

Khaled El Balshy made the comments at a session of the National Dialogue, a forum organised by the government to provide a platform where political factions can settle differences and chart a course towards presidential elections.

He emphasised the importance of press freedom.

Discussions at the event on Sunday focused on a freedom of information law, as well as amendments to the number of representatives who can be elected to the parliament and senate.

“I came here today to relay the syndicate’s hopes to use this dialogue and every other forum we can to expand the space available for movement and expression in our society,” Mr El Balshy said.

Mr El Balshy expressed concerns that a freedom of information law, which is expected to be introduced after the dialogue, would be turned into “another gateway to limit the constitution’s efficacy like other laws that came before it”.

Delegates at a meeting on Saturday at the syndicate's headquarters expressed concerns over restrictions placed on journalists in Egypt, Mr El Balshy told the dialogue.

Referring to articles in Egypt's 2014 constitution, which came into effect during the first year of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s first term in office, Mr El Balshy emphasised the importance of press freedom.

A lack of press freedom affects the country as a whole, he said.

“Information, data, statistics and official documents belong to the people, and releasing them from their various sources is a right guaranteed by the state to every citizen," he said.

"The state is bound to providing them and making them available to citizens in a transparent manner."

The constitution states that “no custodial penalty shall be imposed on crimes committed through publication or publicity of opinion”, Mr El Balshy said.

He called for the release of all detained journalists whose charges do not include violent crimes or incitement to commit them.

Twenty-one journalists are held in Egyptian prisons, an annual census released by the Committee to Protect Journalists found.

Mr El Balshy also urged the government to lift several bans on news outlets, two of which he said were outlawed on Sunday before he spoke at the dialogue.

He wants higher wages for journalists across Egypt to reflect the value of their work.

He also raised concerns about the use of “vague or ambiguous wording” in legislative documents.