CAIRO – An Egyptian court threw out Saturday a lawsuit demanding a popular satirist's show that has mocked President Mohamed Morsi be taken off the air and its broadcaster shut down, a judicial source said. A lawyer had accused controversial political comedian Bassem Youssef of being disrespectful to the audience and to the president and insulting state symbols and Egyptian values. The suit demanded that the state revoke the licence of Capital Broadcasting Center (CBC) for airing Youssef's show. The court threw out the complaint, saying the plaintiff had no legal standing to file the suit. On Friday, Youssef made his first TV appearance on his weekly show since his interrogation by prosecutors last Sunday. Bassem Youssef poked fun yet again at Morsi on the Friday night episode of his political satire program. He was at it again, chewing over his time spent being interrogated at the prosecutor's office earlier this week, when he faced charges of insulting Morsi and Islam. He is currently out on $2,200 bail after the interrogation on Sunday that lasted nearly five hours. “I would love to know how you make your decisions,” Youssef said of Morsi, comparing him to a magician drawing his ideas out of a hat. He also ridiculed the pro-Morsi media and the prosecutor involved in the case against him. “It's not fear... but after my visit to the prosecutor, I decided not to talk any more about Morsi. So I'm going to talk about the prosecutor, especially his problems!” he joked. The television audience, which included one of Egypt's most prominent opposition figures, Hamdeen Sabahi, erupted in applause and laughter. Then Youssef spent a good part of his show ridiculing both the attorney general and the president. He regularly skewers the ruling Islamists on the wildly popular Albernameg (The Show), which is modelled on Jon Stewart's US satirical The Daily Show. Egypt's prosecutor held Youssef for questioning for more than five hours before freeing him on bail for 15,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,200/1,692 euros). Several prominent media critics of Egypt's Islamists have faced legal complaints. Under Egypt's legal system, complaints are filed to the public prosecutor, who decides whether there is enough evidence to refer the case to trial. Suspects can be detained during this stage of investigation. Morsi has said he remains committed to protecting freedom of expression, and that complaints against the TV satirist did not come from the presidency, but from “citizens” offended by Youssef's brand of humor. – Agencies
