A Cairo court acquitted on Tuesday controversial media figure Tawfiq Okasha of charges of insulting President Mohamed Morsy.
The Nasr City Misdemeanors Court found Okasha, head of Al-Faraeen TV channel, not guilty of insulting the president in his talk show Egypt Today.
State-run Al-Ahram’s website reported that this case was one of 30 filed against Okasha over statements he made that were critical of Morsy.
Party paper Al-Wafd’s website quoted Okasha defense lawyer, Khaled Suleiman, as saying that the ruling reflects the fairness of the Egyptian judiciary.
Okasha, who is known for his harsh criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood and its political rise since the 25 January revolution, said weeks after Morsy’s victory that his presence in the presidential palace was illegal.
The Al-Faraeen channel was suspended on 16 August, with authorities threatening to revoke the channel’s license if it did not make programming changes.
Okasha also faces criminal charges in another trial for defaming and attempting to incite the killing of Morsy. The criminal trial will be resumed on 7 November.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
