The Iron Chains

Mohamed Heikal, 29, is editor in chief of Cairo's weekly Akher Sa'a ("Last Hour" --circ. 80,000) and one of the best newsmen in Egypt. With a long list of exclusive stories to his credit, he won Egypt's most coveted journalistic prize three times, last year was the first Egyptian newsman to visit Korea. Two months ago Heikal's magazine spoke out boldly against the secret government subsidies from previous regimes which Egyptian newsmen have long pocketed. He accused the Egyptian press of "servile flattery," an attitude that was welcomed by the members of the old Farouk regime, but is abhorred by Premier-Strongman Naguib.

Heikal's editorial touched off an ex plosion in the Egyptian press. The Press Syndicate, an organization (set up by law in 1941) to which all newsmen must belong, haled Editor Heikal before a disciplinary committee on charges of "committing an act infringing on [the Syndicate's] dignity." When the committee, composed of two judges, two government officials and one press representative, asked Heikal if he wanted a lawyer to defend him, he replied: "I am in no need of a lawyer. I came here to accuse. I don't consider myself to be accused of anything." To Heikal's defense rallied Naguib's right-hand man, Lieut. Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, who told the committee that Naguib's government does not want "newspapers [to] applaud us [because] secretly we would have bought this [applause]." Nevertheless, the committee ordered Hei kal to 1) apologize or 2) stand trial and face suspension as a working newsman.

Last week Heikal, who has received more than 600 letters supporting his stand, refused to apologize and was ordered to trial early next month. Said he: "This is not a personal case. It is a case of freedom of the press. These huge irons felt by the Egyptian press were . . . self-imposed when newsmen accepted bribes."

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