Sarah Carr reports…

The Abbaseyya appeals court yesterday adjourned the hearing of the appeal launched by Al-Dostour editor-in-chief Ibrahim Eissa until June 8 following a request by Eissa’s defense team that they be afforded a delay.
Eissa was convicted of spreading false information affecting national stability in March.
He was sentenced to six months imprisonment after the court upheld the prosecution’s claim that articles published in opposition daily Al-Dostour in August 2007 concerning the state of President Hosni Mubarak’s health had undermined investor confidence and adversely affected the Egyptian economy.
For the first time during the course of the trial, Eissa himself appeared in court yesterday as he was obliged to under court procedures which require that appellants attend appeal hearings involving this category of offense.

The case gets even more ridiculous…

Lawyer Samir El-Shestawy — who previously raised criminal charges against Eissa following the publication of the 2007 articles in a case that was thrown out in March — spoke during the court session.
El-Shestawy has now raised a civil claim against Eissa.
Critics allege that the lawyer is settling political scores against Eissa on behalf of the ruling National Democratic Party.
El-Shestawy told the court that his own children — who were also in court — had been deeply disturbed by the Al-Dostour articles.
“They entered my office crying about what they had read concerning President Mubarak’s health,” El-Shestawy told the court.
“My claim against Ibrahim Eissa is not a personal dispute between me and him. It concerns articles written in an unacceptable style which presented extreme details about the President’s health,” he continued.
El-Shestawy requested that his children be allowed to give evidence in court in support of his claim that they had been disturbed by the articles published in Al-Dostour.

Ya salaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam! Ya salaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam ya Shestawy ya ebni.. Ya3nee wallahi, I can hardly hold my tears back coz of your deep felt patriotism, you and your “disturbed” kids, and I’m very touched by your sincere love for kalb el-Amrikan brezident Hosni,… I can imagine your speech in court can be something like TV scene with a Raafat el-Haggan soundtrack music or the national anthem on violins playing in the background… Well, I hate to “‘disturb” you and your kids more ya Shestawi but everyone knows Kalb el-Amrikan Hosni is old and will die soon ya habibi… So prepare yourself for more “disturbance”…
Anyways, read a statement by HRINFO here in English, and is available in Arabic over there… And please click below to watch a set of photos of the trial, shot by Sarah…