“Such a campaign is the usual and only response of the regime towards whoever demands democracy, which is the only way for freedom and economic reform and social justice,” said the former head of the IAEA, quoted by the independent Al-Dustor newspaper on Saturday.
More than 30 photos related to ElBaradei have reportedly been posted on Facebook under the title Secrets of the ElBaradei family.
Some of the pictures depict Laila, the daughter of the Nobel Laureate, as wearing a swimsuit and appearing at events that show alcohol being served.
The development comes at a time ElBaradei is calling for constitutional amendments that would allow a credible candidate to challenge the ruling party in Egypt’s presidential election, due next year.
“This just shows how desperate the forces against change have become by resorting to a smear campaign based on lies and fabrication,” AP quoted the ElBaradei as saying.
A government-run newspaper has accused the ElBaradeis of being atheists and having a daughter that is married to a non-Muslim.
The 68-year-old ElBaradei is widely viewed as a potential presidential candidate in Egypt. Egypt’s incumbent President of 30 years Hosni Mubarak is now 82 years old and ailing with no obvious successor, although his son has been mentioned in the news reports as a potential heir to his father.
A spokesman for President Mubarak’s National Democratic Party condemned the publication as a “character assassination” effort and denied any government involvement in the incident.
“I think this is a very grave mistake, violating the privacy of others,” the party spokesman said.