US embassy cable - 05CAIRO4256

UNCLAS CAIRO 004256 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR SREEBNY 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KPAO, EG, referendum, Egyptian Politics, Protestors 
SUBJECT:  CAIRO MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTION HELD UP OVER 
 
REFERENDUM COVERAGE 
 
REF:  CAIRO 1061 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary:  Apparently objecting to coverage of 
referendum-related protests by the English-language weekly 
"Cairo Magazine," the Ministry of Information (MOI) withheld 
permission to distribute the June 2 edition of the magazine 
for four days.  The magazine's staff was never informed by 
the MOI why permission was delayed, but has speculated that 
it was due to candid coverage of violence by pro-government 
protestors during the referendum.  While permission to 
distribute was finally granted on the evening of June 5, the 
Editor-in-chief noted that the delay caused by the MOI has 
hurt the magazine's reputation with advertisers and 
distributors.  End summary. 
 
2.  (SBU)  Cairo Magazine (circulation: 5,000) is the 
reincarnation of Cairo Times, which shut down a year ago 
after repeated censorship problems with the MOI that took a 
toll on its advertising revenue.  Despite its small 
circulation, Cairo Magazine tackles controversial issues in 
a professional manner that meets international standards. 
Cairo Magazine Managing Editor Issandr El Amrani told PA 
officer on June 4 that the June 2 edition of the magazine 
could not be distributed, since the Ministry of Information 
(MOI) had not granted it permission to do so.  El Amrani 
reported that the MOI appeared to object to the edition's 
referendum coverage, which included photos of National 
Democratic Party (NDP) supporters assaulting opposition 
demonstrators. 
 
3.  (U)  The June 2 edition's cover, entitled "Amendment 
Approved," carries a photo of two men fighting.  The article 
in question, "The Day the Gloves Came Off," leads with the 
subheading "The violence of the referendum is a bad omen for 
the upcoming elections" and blamed NDP supporters for the 
violence:  "According to witnesses and journalists. the 
responsibility for the violence rested on the people 
carrying the pro-government banners.  NDP counter- 
demonstrations formed up in front of the Kifaya 
demonstration and then, once security moved out of the way 
to let them through, attacked the Kifaya members." 
 
4.  (SBU)  The magazine was initially given to the MOI for 
approval on June 1, but on June 2 an MOI official said it 
would need to be sent to Information Minister Anas El Fekki 
for his clearance.  No further explanation was offered. 
When approval to distribute was granted late in the evening 
on June 5, no explanation for the delay was given.  "It 
seems like it was their way of flexing some muscle with us," 
El Amrani told PA officer on June 6. 
 
5.  (U)  The magazine's website (www.cairomagazine.com), 
which posted the June 2 edition on time, explained its 
absence from Cairo's streets by saying: "Cairo (Magazine) 
apologizes to its regular readers for the delay in the 
distribution of the current issue.  This delay is outside 
our control, as the Ministry of Information has yet to grant 
a permit for this issue to be distributed in Egypt." 
 
6.  (SBU)  When asked why the magazine staff had not removed 
the article in question, as happened with an article in 
Egypt Today several months ago (reftel), El Amrani 
explained, "We have an 'all or nothing' censorship policy. 
If the Information Ministry wants to censor an article, they 
have to censor the entire magazine.  That way, it should be 
harder for them to censor us without causing a fuss." 
 
7.  (SBU)  Comment:  Though no explanation was given for the 
delay, it seems very likely the MOI wanted to diminish the 
impact of Cairo Magazine's upfront reporting on the role the 
NDP faithful played in the March 25 violence.  Cairo 
Magazine's leadership remains optimistic about the 
magazine's future issues and relationship with the MOI, but 
is concerned that delay tactics such as these could hurt its 
relationship with its advertisers and distributors.  This is 
only the magazine's eleventh issue, and already it is 
finding its "all or nothing" censorship policy and its 
financial future tested.  End Comment. 
 
GRAY 
 
#4256