President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday slammed mainstream media coverage of high-profile court cases, saying that the way in which the media handles such cases threatened to negatively influence legal proceedings and court verdicts.
"Wisdom dictates that we leave legal affairs to judges alone," the president said in an address before Egypt's High Court. "They should not be the subject of media exchanges or behavior that detracts from the dignity of the judiciary."
Mubarak stressed that discussion of prominent court cases by the media tended to create premature impressions among viewers that threatened to contradict subsequent court rulings.
Mubarak went on to express support for an October decision by the Supreme Judicial Council banning the recording and television broadcast of court proceedings.
