CAIRO: Three chief editors were referred to the Journalists' Syndicate's disciplinary committee, as both the syndicate and Higher Press Council denied responsibility for the decision. Abdel Halim Kandil, former chief editor of independent weekly Sout Al-Umma, Mohamed Tarabia, chief editor of Al-Thawra newspaper and Gamal Al-Assy, chief editor of Al-Tareeq independent daily, are accused of insulting President Hosni Mubarak, state-run newspapers editors and Saudi King Abullah bin Abdel Aziz, respectively. Syndicate Chairman Makram Mohamed Ahmed said that their referral came from the Higher Press Council since it is the only body with the authority to do so. "I only requested that the three editors be investigated with by the syndicate's investigation committee, Ahmed told Daily News Egypt, "I did not refer them to the disciplinary committee. According to Ahmed, Kandil accused President Mubarak of being a thief, Tarabia ran an article accusing state-run newspapers editors of profiteering and Al-Assy "manipulated a picture by placing an alcoholic drink in a photo of the Saudi king with former US president George Bush. Galal Dowidar, secretary general of the council, denied issuing their referral, claiming that these decisions fall under the syndicate's authority. "Those decisions are related to journalism as a practice, and the Journalists' Syndicate is the only authority that can investigate matters related to the profession, Dowidar said. Members of the syndicate's board of directors reiterate that the referral was Ahmed's decision, calling for an emergency meeting denouncing as well as questioning its validity. Gamal Fahmy, who sits on the board, said Ahmed made the decision without consulting the board of directors, which violates the syndicate's bylaws. Fahmy claimed that Ahmed only consulted the syndicate's deputy, Abdel Mohsen Salama, who is the head of the syndicate's investigations committee and a member of the National Democratic Party. Fahmy also said that the editors did not violate journalism ethics in any way. "There are no restrictions against political criticism, he said. According to Fahmy, internal rifts are abound in the syndicate on account of journalists affiliated with the government and the ruling party. "Ahmed and Salama top that list; their priority is supporting the government and not the journalists, he said. A few months ago, Yehia Al-Alash, former secretary general of the Journalists' Syndicate, resigned, citing his disapproval of Ahmed's leadership style, which "relies on his decisions only. There are around 5,000 journalists in the syndicate, 11 of which sit on the board of directors.
