Mubarak’s lawyer to sue Egyptian paper whistleblowers

Mubarak’s lawyer to sue Egyptian paper whistleblowers
Mon Sep 16, 2013 17:14:53

A storm has erupted in Egypt following the publication of the transcript of a secret recording of a conversation between former President Hosni Mubarak and a doctor treating him at Turrah Prison in Cairo.

The transcript was published by Al-Yawm Al-Saba’a newspaper, which also included a link to an online copy of the recording.

Mubarak’s lawyer, Farid Al-Dib, has expressed his dismay at the publication of the transcript and the recording.

He told British daily Asharq Al-Awsat that he intended to sue the newspaper, accusing it of crossing professional boundaries by publishing a private conversation between Mubarak and his doctor.

Dib added that the recording took place without Mubarak’s knowledge and that he was going to take legal action against the newspaper and its editor if they did not stop the “dangerous transgression.”

Al-Yawm Al-Saba’a aired the recording on Sunday after publishing the transcript in its print edition.

Mubarak talked about the situation in Egypt in a private conversation recorded by a doctor and a prison guard during his detention at Turrah Prison.

The conversation included questions and comments from the doctor and the guard, who seemed to attempt to encourage Mubarak to talk about the political and security situation in the country. The conversations were recorded during the months of June and July this year.

Dib said the recording was carried out by a doctor treating Mubarak’s hearing while he was in Turrah Prison, saying he needed to check Mubarak’s responses to determine the accuracy of his hearing over a number of sessions. Mubarak’s legal team has accused the newspaper of “bribing” the doctor to obtain the recordings.

The former president’s lawyer said recording a conversation in secret was a crime punishable by 12 months in prison, especially as prison rules dictate that no audio or video recording equipment or mobile phones are allowed. He added that “airing these recordings—even if it was not in public—was also a crime punishable by three years in prison.”

Dib said, “If the editor did not stop the broadcast in person, I will report him to the prosecutor-general, because this action is a violation in which a doctor cheated a patient he was treating.”

The 'Leaked recording'

Mubarak was overthrown in 2011 following a landmark uprising against his 30-year rule. He was placed under house arrest last month and is still pending charges of complicity in the deaths of protesters in 2011.

In the leaked recording published by Al-Yawm Al-Saba’a Mubarak says Egypt’s 2011 uprising that ousted him from power had initiated in 2005 and was instigated by Washington.

The former president is quoted by the newspaper as saying that the US fabricated a rumor about his son Gamal Mubarak, which spread the news that he wanted to succeed his father's rule.

Mubarak is quoted to say that the alleged rumor caused his son to come under heavy criticism.

Mubarak also allegedly commented on the current situation in Egypt, saying that he thought Egypt's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood until he proved him wrong.

Sisi overthrew President Mohammad Morsi in July, following mass protests against his rule. He had previously served as Mubarak's military intelligence chief.

Mubarak also reportedly said in the recordings that Egypt’s next president must be from the military.

The ousted leader has also accused supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood of receiving money to hold sit-in protests in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, which was dispersed last month in a deadly military crackdown.

He also thinks that Sinai has been “ruined” after the deposed Morsi released “terrorist” prisoners in the country.

He also said that Morsi supporters and Muslim Brotherhood protesters will end their demonstrations once the “terrorists” are re-arrested.

“[Former Interior Minister] Habib el-adly used to arrest 2000 of them and everything would calm down,” Mubarak was quoted as saying, referring to the minister who is now in prison facing charges of corruption.

“If he was out of prison now he would take care of everything in three days,” Mubarak was also quoted as saying.

The former president was also quoted as saying that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had once offered to resettle Gazans in Sinai but that he refused.

“Netanyahu suggested to me that we relocate those Gazans to Sinai, but I refused and told him to forget it, neither I nor anyone bigger than me will be able to mess with the Egypt’s borders,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

SHI/SHI

string(1201) "[{"id":"1514314","sort":"3092461","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/07/alalam_635141620029212893_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"New charge against Egypt's Morsi: insulting judges"} ,{"id":"1515524","sort":"3092462","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/10/alalam_635144309251602163_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Amnesty slams 'extreme political violence' in Egypt"} ,{"id":"1515620","sort":"3092463","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/10/alalam_635144423637649350_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Egypt bans mosque preachers in crackdown on MB"} ,{"id":"1516201","sort":"3092464","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/12/alalam_635146095645291704_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Egypt extends state of emergency by 2 months"} ,{"id":"1516397","sort":"3092465","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/13/alalam_635146997314241991_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"UAE sent arms to Egypt to curb pro- Morsi protests"} ,{"id":"1516765","sort":"3092466","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/14/alalam_635147881732779622_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Egypt court adjourns ex-dictator’s retrial"} ,{"id":"1517228","sort":"3092467","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/09/16/alalam_635149285072063717_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Egypt steps up crackdown on Rafah border"} ]"