Egyptian Court Orders Media Blackout of Celebrity Trial

By The Media Line news agency

Local and foreign media will no longer be permitted to report on the details of the trial related to the murder of Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim, and will only be allowed to report court decisions in the case of an adjournment or verdict.

The presiding judge backed his decision by arguing that public opinion was being influenced by the reporting, according to the Egyptian newspaper the Daily Star.

The victim was one of the biggest stars in the Middle East and North Africa with millions of records sold. Ever since Tamim's death in Dubai on July 28, her fate has been the hottest news in the region; newspapers and bloggers have been covering the events leading up to the trial in great detail and cafes have been brimming with people discussing the subject.

One of the main reasons for the massive media coverage and huge public interest is due to the two main suspects: former Egyptian police officer Muhsin A-Sukari is charged with murdering Tamim in her luxury apartment in Dubai after being paid $2 million by Egyptian construction mogul and member of parliament for the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), Hisham Tal'at Mu'stafa.

Moustafa was arrested on September 2 after his parliamentary immunity was lifted. In addition to heading the Tal'at Mu'stafa Group, a real estate conglomerate, he is also a member of the policies secretariat of the NDP, which is headed by Gamal Mubarak, the son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

According to previous media reports Mu'stafa had offered Tamim $10 million to marry him, but she refused.

www.themedialine.org
C2008. The Media Line Ltd. All Rights Reserved.