Egypt court sentences Al-Jazeera journalists to jail

AFP, CAIRO: An Egyptian court sentenced three Al-Jazeera reporters to three years in prison yesterday, in a shock ruling following global demands for their acquittal.
Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were in court for the verdict. Australian journalist Peter Greste was tried in absentia after his deportation early this year.
Several co-defendants, accused of working with Al-Jazeera, received similar sentences.
Qatar-based Al-Jazeera denounced the verdict against the trio, who were accused of broadcasting false news, as a “deliberate attack on press freedom”.
Their retrial was ordered after an appeals court overturned an initial sentence of seven years in prison, saying the prosecution had presented scant evidence against them.
Fahmy’s lawyer, London-based Amal Clooney, told reporters after the verdict she would press the Egyptian presidency for a pardon.
“It’s a dangerous precedent in Egypt that journalists can be locked up simply for reporting the news and courts can be used as political tools,” she said.
Relatives and supporters were dismayed by the verdict.
“I’m shocked. Terribly shocked. We waited for an acquittal and then found ourselves stuck again in the case. This is illogical,” Fahmy’s brother Adel said.
Greste described the jail terms as “devastating”.
“We did nothing wrong. The prosecution presented no evidence that we did anything wrong and so for us to be convicted as terrorists on no evidence at all is frankly outrageous,” he said.
The journalists were arrested in December 2013, months after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and launched a deadly crackdown on his supporters.

Egypt court sentences Al-Jazeera journalists to jail

AFP, CAIRO: An Egyptian court sentenced three Al-Jazeera reporters to three years in prison yesterday, in a shock ruling following global demands for their acquittal. Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were in court for the verdict. Australian journalist Peter Greste was tried in absentia after his deportation early this year. Several co-defendants, accused of working with Al-Jazeera, received similar sentences. Qatar-based Al-Jazeera denounced the verdict against the trio, who were accused of broadcasting false news, as a deliberate attack on press freedom. Their retrial was ordered after an appeals court overturned an initial sentence of seven years in prison, saying the prosecution had presented scant evidence against them. Fahmys lawyer, London-based Amal Clooney, told reporters after the verdict she would press the Egyptian presidency for a pardon. Its a dangerous precedent in Egypt that journalists can be locked up simply for reporting the news and courts can be used as political tools, she said. Relatives and supporters were dismayed by the verdict. Im shocked. Terribly shocked. We waited for an acquittal and then found ourselves stuck again in the case. This is illogical, Fahmys brother Adel said. Greste described the jail terms as devastating. We did nothing wrong. The prosecution presented no evidence that we did anything wrong and so for us to be convicted as terrorists on no evidence at all is frankly outrageous, he said. The journalists were arrested in December 2013, months after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and launched a deadly crackdown on his supporters.