The Damanhur prosecution attorney general ordered the arrest of Hamed al-Barbary, head of the state-owned Al-Gumhurriya newspaper’s office in Beheira, for four days. Barbary is facing police investigation based on accusations of firing a locally manufactured gun at a security checkpoint.
Tamer Abdel Raouf, the head of Al-Ahram office in Beheira, and al-Barbary had been driving on an agricultural road in Damanhur on Monday when security forces fired at their car. Raouf was killed, and al-Barbary was injured. A gun was later found in Raouf’s car who had been accompanying al-Barbary in the car.
A delegation from the Journalists Syndicate, composed of Assistant Secretary General Hesham Younis and board member Khaled al-Balshy, headed to Beheira to follow up on the developments, particularly al-Barbary’s charges.
Balshy told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the delegation has since learned that the Damanhour Prosecution decided to refer the case to military prosecution even though the testimonies of their colleagues should have been heard first.
Several journalists have been killed during bloody incidents that have taken place between security forces and supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsy, as violence erupted in the aftermath of the forcibly ended sit-ins calling for the reinstatement of Morsy. Among the victims are Sky News photojournalist Mick Deane and the Emirati Gulf News correspondent Habiba Ahmed abdel Aziz.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
