This is a severe slap in the face to all those who advocate democracy and freedom of expression in Egypt.

— Ibrahim Issa, Egyptian journalist and chief editor of Al-Dustour, an independent weekly newspaper, speaking about his one-year prison term for defaming Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.  Issa’s publication, Al-Dustuor, reported the case of Said Abdullah, who filed a lawsuit against President Mubarak for effectively pilfering and squandering public funds when state-owned enterprises were privatized. Sahar Zaki, the reporter, and Said Abdullah, the plaintiff, were also handed one-year prison sentences and crippling fines of $1,743 in a country where gross national income per capita is $1,250. Bravo, Hosni.  

Mimi Hanaoka