Strike Shuts 25 Egyptian Newspapers; Law at Issue

CAIRO, July 9 -- Workers went on strike Sunday at 25 Egyptian newspapers, which did not publish as the legislature in Cairo appeared ready to approve a law that leaves journalists vulnerable to fines and jail time for reports that criticize government officials.

About 200 Egyptian journalists gathered in front of the parliament building to draw attention to the clampdown on opposition media, which they described as the government backsliding on reforms promised by President Hosni Mubarak. The president's ruling party appears to have the votes necessary to enact the bill. A vote is expected Monday.

"It will shut mouths and break pens," said Sahar Ramadan, a journalist from al-Wafd, an opposition paper. "Criminals will remain on the streets, while journalists go to jail."

Egypt, a close U.S. ally in the Middle East and the recipient of $2 billion in U.S. aid every year, won praise from the Bush administration last year for allowing the first contested presidential election and showing other tentative signs of democratic reform. In recent months, however, Mubarak has drawn international condemnation for clashes between his forces and pro-reform activists, and the mass arrests of opposition figures.

During his reelection campaign last year, Mubarak vowed to abolish a law under which journalists faced prison sentences and fines in defamation cases. Egyptian journalists then became more daring in their coverage of the government.

Egyptian journalists said those changes are in jeopardy now that the majority of legislators appear to favor a law that threatens reporters with $5,000 fines and imprisonment for up to two years for reports linked to the finances of public figures, criticism of public institutions and "offending" Egypt's leadership. The law protects journalists from prosecution in defamation cases, the protesters said, but it added a new list of offenses that could land reporters behind bars.