Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 5422 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
QA
YM YI YE

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 09CAIRO1971, NEWSPAPER SHUT DOWN OVER ALLEGING ACTORS'

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09CAIRO1971.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09CAIRO1971 2009-10-15 13:01 2011-02-16 21:09 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Cairo
VZCZCXRO0877
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #1971 2881349
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 151349Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3900
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001971 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ELA AND DRL/NESCA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2029 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM SOCI EG
SUBJECT: NEWSPAPER SHUT DOWN OVER ALLEGING ACTORS' 
HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 1332 
  ΒΆB. CAIRO 1231 C. 08 CAIRO 2122 Classified By: Economic-Political Minister-Counselor Donald A. Blome for reason 1.4 (d).
1.(U) On October 5, the Supreme Press Council, an administrative GOE body, revoked the license of the weekly tabloid newspaper "Al-Balagh Al-Gadid," effectively shutting it down. The Supreme Press Council's action came in response to an early October article in the paper alleging that police questioned a group of named popular male actors for engaging in gay sex at the Five-Star Semiramis Hotel in downtown Cairo. The article also suggested that the actors were part of a prostitution ring, and that some members of the ring have AIDS. On October 14, the paper's editor and one journalist went on trial for criminal defamation. A judge adjourned the case until October 28.

2.(C) Three human rights lawyers told us that the newspaper had no evidence for its allegations. They expected the editor and the journalist to eventually receive jail sentences for defamation because of the lack of sourcing and the offensive nature of the allegations in the Egyptian social context. Two of the lawyers speculated that the GOE moved quickly on the case because of widespread public affection for one of the actors, XXXXXXXXXXXX. "Al-Balagh's" editor stated publicly on October 6 that his source for the story was a senior police officer. One NGO contact told us there are rumors among journalists that Interior Ministry State Security set "Al-Balagh" up to settle an unknown score.

3.(C) Comment: Revoking a newspaper's license is rare. In the past year, only one paper -- "Al Zuhour" run by the Muslim Brotherhood -- has seen its license revoked, and contacts are hard pressed to name revocations from years past. The GOE's immediate action to ban "Al-Balagh" should be seen in an Egyptian context where homosexuality is a sensitive topic rarely discussed in the press, and where press allegations that public figures are gay are almost unheard of. Several contacts' expectations that the journalists will receive prison time is striking as courts over the past year, with two exceptions (refs A, C), have elected to impose fines, rather than prison sentences, in defamation cases. Scobey