VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #0595 0861504
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261504Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8671
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS CAIRO 000595 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
NSC STAFF FOR PASCUAL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM KPAO EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN COURT CONVICTS EDITOR BUT SUSPENDS JAIL 
SENTENCE 
 
REF: A. 07 CAIRO 2825 
     ¶B. 07 CAIRO 2936 
     ¶C. 07 CAIRO 3133 
 
¶1. (SBU)  On March 26,  a Cairo court convicted Ibrahim 
Eissa, editor of the independent newspaper Al-Dustour, of 
spreading false information in connection with the 
newspaper's August 2007 publication of stories reporting 
rumors then circulating that President Mubarak was in poor 
health.  The court sentenced Eissa to 6 months in prison, but 
suspended the sentence and, at least for now, he will not be 
jailed.  Several similar lawsuits and Eissa's appeal of a 
previous conviction, also resulting in a jail sentence, 
remain pending.  The jail sentence in this case could be 
enforced if Eissa is convicted in any of the other pending 
cases or loses his appeal of the earlier conviction.  The 
court also fined Eissa LE 200 (about $36). 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Lawyers from Eissa,s defense team immediately 
announced that they will appeal the conviction.  In a written 
statement, Gamal Eid of the Arabic Network for Human Rights 
Information and a lawyer for Eissa, labeled the verdict 
further evidence of the Egyptian Government's lack of respect 
for freedom of the press and intolerance of criticism. In the 
statement, Eid also said the suspension of the prison 
sentence was a "compromise" because imprisoning Eissa would 
be "a big scandal." 
 
3.(SBU)  Comment:  The conviction, with a minimal fine and 
suspension of the prison sentence, may well have been a 
compromise.  The GOE is fully-aware of the international 
attention Eissa's legal difficulties have attracted.  By 
convicting him, but not immediately enforcing the sentence 
while maintaining the ability to do so in the future, the 
court may be trying to avoid international criticism while 
sending a message to Eissa and other journalists. 
RICCIARDONE