Al-Hayat Television has issued a statement on Thursday in response to a letter received two days ago from the Central Administration for the Free Media Zone which warned the television channel against criticizing the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) in the future.
More than two weeks ago, Al-Hayat invited Magdi al-Gallad, chief editor of Al-Masry Al-Youm, Hamdi Rizq, chief editor of Al-Mosawwar, and Amina al-Naqqash, chief editor of Al-Ahali, to discuss on air restrictions on newspapers and whether a recent ban on airing court trials is part of a larger crackdown on the media.
Al-Hayat's statement said that the SJC’s letter is a direct intervention in the media affairs and an attempt to muzzle the opinions of people who are simply expressing their ideas in a very polite and respectful manner. The statement also said that some of the hosts supported the opinion of the SJC, which, the statement went on, is not, after all, a court ruling.
Mohamed Abdel Mutaal, head of the Al-Hayat Television network, said the episode in question was very balanced and pointed out that representatives of national, partisan and private papers were present on the program.
The statement further added that the SJC’s letter is an attempt at to hold people accountable for their thoughts and intentions and takes Egypt back to an era when people enjoyed far less freedom. It further added that President Mubarak supports freedom of opinion, generally leaving people in the media to exercise self-censorship.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
