Egypt: Security authorities confiscate book about corruption

May 20, 2009

(ANHRI/IFEX) - The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) reports that the Egyptian security authorities have confiscated a book entitled "A Flood of Corruption and the Advance of bin Laden in Algeria" by the Algerian writer, Anwar Malek. The book deals with the involvement of some Algerian officials and their children in cases of corruption in Algeria. It was published by the Uktob publishing house in Cairo under deposit number (26518/2009) of the General Egyptian Book Organization.

In his letter to ANHRI, Anwar Malek said: "The book is already printed, but the state security confiscated it from distribution stores and warned the publisher of reprinting it, and moreover, they threatened the publisher with closing the publishing house if he acted against them by leaking information to media."

The confiscated book addresses the writer's vision on crimes committed by al-Qaeda and other armed groups and their relationship with the Algerian security services. The book also contains a section on Algerian prisons and the blatant human rights violations taking place inside the prisons, such as torture, abduction and extrajudicial murder.

ANHRI said, "Once again the police apparatus proves its hostility towards freedom of expression, limiting the state it protects to the Egyptian government, and other governments. We also feel sorry for the role the publishing house had to play in covering up the confiscation for fear of the state security. Uktob publishing house has already withdrawn one of its books ("British Gulf") from the market and announced that it would completely remove it from its shelves to placate the Saudi government. This is indicative of the increasing pressure of the security apparatus and some publishing houses on writers and researchers" said ANHRI.


For more information contact:
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
Phone: +20 227 736177
Website: www.anhri.net

Subject Headings and Related Resources:

• Advocacy Groups
• Censorship
• Egypt
• Free Speech
• Freedom of Expression
• Human Rights
• Writers