FILE - Amr Waked (L) courtesy of Reuters, and Khaled Abol Naga (R) courtesy of Film-Clinic
CAIRO - 27 March 2019: Theatrical Professions Syndicate decided on Tuesday to drop the membership of internationally renowned Egyptian actors Khaled Abol Naga, and Amr Waked, a day after they urged international solidarity with Egyptians under "military" rule during a panel in Washington.
Also, lawyer Ayman Mahfouz issued two separate complaints against Waked and Naga, to Egypt's top prosecutor Nabil Sadek, accusing the first of insulting the Egyptian judiciary, and distorting public peace after he commented on the death penalty in one of his tweets on February 20, which marked the execution of nine people over charges of killing the former attorney general.
"[I am] against the death sentence for both innocent and guilty [people] alike. Killing is a big mistake for all. The purpose of any punishment is rehabilitation. [How] can killing and blood [help] rehabilite? Enough with the blood," Waked said on February 20.
The lawyer accused Waked of objecting to the death penalty imposed by Islam, adding that the latter's remarks are considered to be a comment on the judicial verdicts, an insult to the judiciary, and a clear political sign supporting terrorists.
Earlier in March, Waked's lawyer Malek Adly said that his client was sentenced by a military court in absentia to eight years in prison in two cases over charges of insulting state institutions and disseminating false news.
Lawyer Samir Sabry, known for filing legal complaints against anti-state parties, said in a telephone interview with Red Line program on Al-Assema TV that he has filed 13 complaints against Waked.
Mahfouz also requested, in a separate complaint to the attorney general against Naga, to freeze the latter's bank accounts, and place him on the country's watch list
What Abol-Naga did was "a crime punishable by Law No. 94 of 2015, which stipulates that any person who establishes or uses a website on communication networks, the internet or others, with the aim of promoting ideas or beliefs which call for the perpetration of acts of terrorism, or for broadcasting information to mislead security authorities or pervert the course of justice in relation to any terrorist crime or for exchanging letters, and issuing tasks between terrorist agents at home and abroad, will be punished by a prison sentence of not less than 5 years," the complaint stated.
Moreover, Sabry filed a lawsuit to the attorney general against the two actors over charges of treason, inciting against the Egyptian state, distorting the image of the country, and disseminating false news.
Alaa Abed, chairman of the Parliament's Human Rights Committee,said that all countries around the world have many problems with regard to human rights and freedom, adding that Waked and Naga have provided false information, which harms the Egyptian national security and creates a state of confusion.
He also accused them of resorting to foreign parties against their homeland.
Theatrical Professions Syndicate
"What the two actors did is considered treason to Egypt and Egyptians, as they asked foreign parties to interfere in Egypt's domestic affairs and move Egypt’s decisions in a direction that supports the conspirators' agenda to undermine Egypt's security and stability," the syndicate said in a statement, after removing the two actors' names from the syndicate's list of members.
The Theatrical Professions' Syndicate further added that it will not accept any traitors among its members, warning other members against following the two actors' lead.
Waked mocked the syndicate's decision calling it the "Political Professions Syndicate", apparently accusing it of being influenced by the country's political regime.
Waked described, in a separate Tweet, the procedure taken against him and Naga as a "flagrant violation", adding that it purposely ignored the laws of the syndicate.
Although Tweets on Social Media have varied, including a large number of people who voiced support for Naga and Waked, a considerable number of people have censured the two actors for their stance.
They went to Washington to ask the Congress to stop the obligatory USA Military assistance to the Egyptian Armed Forces is a clear sign of treason . You are not Egyptian..Shame on all of you.#عمرو_واكد
Comments
Leave a Comment