ECC 2972/2000

This case involved a claim for libel against a magazine by individuals accused of extremism because they had complained about nudity in the magazine and a counter claim by the magazine that the accusations had damaged them. A key issue was the court was expected to carefully consider the content of the material in the magazine when making its decision.

Background

A group of individuals filed a case (Case No. 2423/1997) against a magazine requesting they pay 100,000 Egyptian Pounds claiming that the magazine had published an article accusing them of extremism and intellectual terrorism because they had complained against adverts that included nudity which contradicted with the religious values. The complaint submitted by the individuals led to the persecution and charging of one of the group responsible for the adverts. The individuals claimed that the have suffered moral damages and therefore filed the claim requesting compensation.

The magazine submitted a counter claim requesting the individuals to pay compensation for the reputational damages suffered by the magazine and its staff.

The court of first instance dismissed the original claim and requested the individuals pay the magazine 20,000 Egyptian Pounds in compensation in the counter claim.