By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt– Mounir Hanna Said Marzouk was a civil servant in Egypt, and wrote satyrical verses for his friends and colleagues. He had only been writing for two years. None of his writing had ever been published, and it was only after a colleague found his work offensive to the President that Marzouk was reported to the authorities.

Marzouk insists that his poems are not meant to be offensive to the president, they are meant only to reflect daily life in Egypt.  In spite of his intentions Marzouk was sentenced to three years imprisonment, and fined 100,000 Egyptian pounds for his poems on June 27. This is the maximum penalty that exists for the crime of publicly insulting the president, which carries a penalty from 24 hours imprisonment to three years imprisonment.

The Arab Network for Human Rights is appealing his verdict, based on Marzouk’s lack of access to representation at his first trial. Marzouk and his family did not hire a lawyer, because none of his poems mention Mubarek by name. There are also many satirical poems available in Egypt and on the Internet by much more well-established poets than Marzouk.

Much of the attention came to Marzouk’s case after his brother wrote a clemency plea to the local newspapers for his brother. Although none of his brother’s verses were published in the paper, it brought his brother’s case international attention, and representation. The final verdict is expected to come down this Saturday, July 18.

For more information, please see:

Afrik – Egypt’s Dangerous Poetry: Civil Servant Imprisoned for Writing a Poem – 15 July 2009

AFP – Ode to Egypt President Lands Clerk in Jail – 14 July 2009

BBC – Egyptian Jailed for Insult Poem – 14 July 2009  

LA Times – Egypt: Poet Accused of Mubarek Awaits Final Verdict – 14 July 2009