An Egyptian court sentenced a journalist to one year in jail on Monday for libelling imprisoned opposition leader Ayman Nour and his wife, Reuters has reported. But Nour, who is serving a five-year sentence on what he says are baseless fraud charges, asked the court to drop the custodial sentence because he does not approve of jailing journalists for publishing offences.
The journalist, Taher Mahmoud Taher, made allegations against Nour and his wife Gameela Ismail in April 2005, when Nour challenged President Hosni Mubarak in the country's first presidential elections with more than one candidate.
Taher, who was working for a little known Cairo newspaper Voice of Boulak Aboul Ela, also received a fine of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,800).
