Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court turned down yesterday an appeal submitted by the government and the Ministry of Defense against the release of a movie about former President Gamal Abdel Nasser and his deputy Abdel Hakim Amer.
The court said that even though it places a high value on the military, it nevertheless upholds the freedom of opinion, expression and artistic creativity, which are supported by the Egyptian Constitution.
Mamdouh el-Leithy, who wrote the screenplay for el-Raees wal Mousheer (The President and the Marshal), filed a lawsuit in 2006 after "authorities" ordered that filming should stop. According to el-Leithy, these "authorities" said the script would reveal secrets regarding Nasser and Amer’s relationship and had to be changed before production could continue.
The court ruled that only the Government Censorship Authority has authority to determine which movies are appropriate for screening. The court’s ruling also stated that the Government Censorship Authority should not abandon its jurisdiction in deference to another state institution.
Nasser Amin, head of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession, who also acts as lawyer for el-Leithy, described the ruling as "historic" because it entrenches the principles of freedom of opinion and expression.
Amin also said the court’s decision should put an end to the use of governmental authority to intimidate artists and thinkers.
The Administrative Court ruled last December that the shooting of the movie could resume.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
