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Confronting Bodies: Egyptian Partiament;The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
Date of Action: July 2006
Specific Location: Egypt
Description of Artwork: The film, "Yacoubian Building," depicts the story behind the Yacoubian Building in Cairo. The building was initially constructed as a luxury apartment building until the revolution when it was taken over by the military. On the roof of the building are rooms that were initially designed as storage space for the apartments. These storage rooms are now used as apartments for poor migrants from the countryside. Thus, now there is an entire neighborhood on the roof of the once luxury building.
Description of Incident: While the Egyptian Censorship Committee approved the film, 112 members of Parliament believe that several scenes of the movie should be censored because of their negative portrayal of Egypt. The Culture and Media Committee is now forming a committee to screen and comment on the film to report back to Parliament.
Results of Incident: The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights is concerned with the implications of Parliament's actions on Egyptian Freedom of Expression and Belief. The Egyptian Constitution provides both freedom of expression and freedom of art and literature.
Source: IFEX: International Freedom of Expression Exchange (www.ifex.org)
Submitted By: Danielle Biber