The military prosecutor on Sunday released Al-Fagr newspaper journalist Rasha Azab and editor-in-chief Adel Hamouda following their five-hour interrogation on charges of publishing false news affecting public security. The two had been summoned to appear in front of the military prosecution for questioning over a story on the ruling military council.
The story published the details of a meeting that took place between SCAF member Hassan al-Roweiny and other generals with members of the “No to Military Trials” group of activists. According to the story, Roweiny was reportedly shocked to see videos of military abuses and was unable to deny that the alleged abuses took place. However, he described them as isolated incidents.
Azab's article gave details of the abuses perpetrated by the military police against protesters arrested in Tahrir Square on 9 March and taken to the Egyptian Museum. The abuses included various acts of physical abuse as well as "virginity tests" carried out on female protesters held in military custody.
Azab said: "Our release does not mean the end of the case. The military is using it to intimidate me into ending this type of investigative writing.”
Azab told Al-Masry Al-Youm, "I will continue to write whenever I discover anything new related to military violations."
A number of activists organized a protest in solidarity with Hammouda and Azab outside the headquarters of the military prosecution in Nasr City, southeast of Cairo. Activist and blogger Nora Shalaby said the protests were aimed at pressuring the military into ending its ongoing assaults on media freedom.
Meanwhile, Hossam Hamalawy, a journalist who was interrogated two weeks ago in a similar case said the support he received from activists was what forced the military prosecution to close the case.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
