Reporters fined for defying gag on murder trial

An Egyptian court fined five journalists 10,000 Egyptian pounds (1,800 dollars) each on Thursday for defying a gag order in the murder trial of a tycoon, the state-run news agency MENA reported.A Cairo court had imposed a blackout in November on the trial of Hisham Taalat Mustafa, a stalwart of the ruling National Democratic Party, who is accused of ordering a former policeman to kill Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim.

Tamim was found with her throat cut in her Dubai apartment last July. The former policeman is also standing trial on murder charges.

The journalists who were fined included Abbas el-Tarabili, editor of the opposition newspaper Al-Wafd, and Magdy el-Jalad, editor of the independent daily Al-Masri al-Yom.

After the gag order, media were allowed to only report court decisions such as adjournment of hearings or the verdict in the trial, which is continuing.