The presidential office filed a complaint on Monday accusing privately-owned Youm7's editor-in-chief Khaled Salah and journalist Ola al-Shafie of slandering President Mohamed Morsy.
The complaint was based on an op-ed in the paper about the clashes at the presidential palace, when supporters of Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood descended on an opposition sit-in against the constitutional declaration and the referendum on the draft constitution.
Shafie alleges in her article that the Muslim Brotherhood was responsible for killing six people and torturing various political activists. The president's office claims the article defames the president.
The Muslim Brotherhood denies the allegations, claiming that all those killed or injured in the clashes were in fact Brotherhood members, despite video footage and protester testimony demonstrating that members of the Muslim Brotherhood were involved in torturing protesters before handing them over to the police.
Media and human rights watchdogs have expressed concern over the increasing intimidation of journalists who have critiqued the ruling regime.
Media presenter Mohamed Saad was released on bail last week after being interrogated on allegations of insulting the president. Also last week, the broadcast of presenter Hala Fahmy’s show was cut when she criticized the president on air, and she was later referred to the public prosecution.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
