Writer and journalist Ahmed Naji at court on Saturday (Photo:AP)
Egypt's Journalists Syndicate called on Sunday for the prosecutor-general to suspend the prison sentence of journalist and writer Ahmed Naji for publishing a “sexually flagrant article” in the state-owned cultural newspaper Akhbar Al-Adab last year.
Naji was sentenced to two years in prison on Saturday by a Cairo misdemeanor appeals court.
The court also issued a fine of EGP 10,000 for Tareq El-Taher, the editor-in-chief of Akhbar Al-Adab.
In its official request to prosecutor-general Nabil Sadik, the Journalists Syndicate said that the court verdict "violates constitutional articles banning imprisonment for publishing-related cases".
The syndicate called for the suspension of the sentence until the Court of Cassation issues a final verdict in the case.
The misdemeanor appeals court verdict came after the prosecution appealed the court’s order on 2 January to clear the two defendants of all charges.
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