Media Council bans lawyer from appearance on TV for 3 months

CAIRO – 25 November 2017: The Supreme Council of Media Regulation issued a decision to ban the appearance of lawyer Nabih El Wahsh on TV shows for three months as a punishment for his earlier statements that describe raping and harassing women who wear revealing clothes as a “national and patriotic” duty.

The council also decided to warn the Al-Hadath and Al-Asema channels from interviewing unqualified persons who are not specialists in fatwas (religious edicts) and those with abnormal ideas.

Earlier, the National Council for Women (NCW) filed a complaint to the Public Prosecutor against Wahsh for his statements on a TV show.

The NCW chairperson, Maya Morsi, told the press that such statements are a breach to the Constitution, which ensures the safety and protection of women. She added that it is shocking that such calls are made by someone whose profession is preserving people’s rights and freedoms, inhibiting crimes, and achieving justice.

“The statement is a direct incitement of rape and harassment, which threatens public security and peace,” Morsi stipulated. She stated that a complaint has been filed with the Supreme Council for Media Regulation to take action against the TV channel that hosted him and the newspaper that reported on the interview, despite his notoriety for hate speech.

The NWC issued a statement warning the media writ-large from interviewing such people and promoting statements that encourage violence against women and reflect a derogatory image of women.