Cairo: A Cairo court has ordered the chief editor of an Egyptian daily detained pending trial on charges of insulting the country`s president and "spreading lies."
The case against Islam Afifi, chief editor of the privately-owned el-Dustour, is one among several lawsuits leveled mainly by Egypt`s Islamists against several journalists and TV presenters, accusing them of inflammatory coverage and inciting the public against the Muslim Brotherhood, the country`s largest political group.
The Cairo Criminal Court today also postponed the trial of Afifi for mid-September.
Pro-democracy activists have shown mixed reactions to the court cases. Many defend the right of freedom of expression and deem the Islamists` practices as repressive. Others say the journalists facing trials are former regime loyalists.
PTI
