Egypt satirist faces probe for insulting president

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Egypt satirist faces probe for insulting president

CAIRO | Tue Jan 1, 2013 12:22pm EST

(Reuters) - An Egyptian satirist who made fun of President Mohamed Mursi on television has been accused of undermining his standing and will be investigated by prosecutors, a judicial source said on Tuesday.

Bassem Youssef's case will increase worries about freedom of speech in the post-Hosni Mubarak era, especially when the country's new constitution includes provisions criticized by rights activists for, among other things, forbidding insults.

Youssef rose to fame following the uprising that swept Mubarak from power in February 2011 with a satirical online program that was compared with Jon Stewart's Daily Show.

He has since had his own show on Egyptian television and mocked Mursi's repeated use of the word "love" in his speeches by starting one of his programs with a love song, holding a red pillow with the president's face printed on it.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/01/us-egypt-satirist-idUSBRE90007A20130101

[AverageJoe90]

1. For every Bassem Youssef arrested, may a thousand others take his place.

The revolution cannot be stopped.....unless it is given up on.