EGYPT-JAZEERA/JOURNALISTS FILE Verdict in retrial of Al Jazeera journalists due this weekend
Record ID:
142160
EGYPT-JAZEERA/JOURNALISTS FILE Verdict in retrial of Al Jazeera journalists due this weekend
- Title: EGYPT-JAZEERA/JOURNALISTS FILE Verdict in retrial of Al Jazeera journalists due this weekend
- Date: 28th August 2015
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - FEBRUARY 19, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AL JAZEERA JOURNALIST PETER GRESTE IN PUB (SOUNDBITE) (English) AL JAZEERA JOURNALIST, PETER GRESTE, SAYING: "I think we've got a platform, people have identified us with the cause very strongly and I think it would be an abrogation of responsibility to walk away from that. I'd like to keep talking about it, I think it's an important thing, I think it is worth discussing and I think it's at a time when the press is under a lot of attacks from all sorts of quarters. Whether it's people slicing the heads off journalists in Syria or shooting up the offices of magazines in Paris or introducing draconian legislation in countries around the world, it's a big problem and it's something that we need to keep talking about." CAIRO, EGYPT (FILE - FEBRUARY 23, 2015) (REUTERS) EGYPTIAN COURT IN SESSION JOURNALIST MOHAMED FAHMY (BLUE TIE) WALKING INTO COURTROOM FAHMY WITH HIS FIANCEE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) (AUDIO ONLY) JUDGE, HASSAN FARID, SAYING: "The court has decided the adjournment until March 8, 2015 as the defence asked." COURTROOM IN SESSION (SOUNDBITE) (English) AL-JAZEERA JOURNALIST, MOHAMED FAHMY, SAYING: "I really don't know what's going to happen. I am paying for my own legal fees. It's become really costly for me and on every level - emotionally, financially - my whole family is stressed. I enjoyed my first couple of days of freedom but it's still limited freedom." (SOUNDBITE) (English) AL-JAZEERA JOURNALIST, BAHER MOHAMED SAYING: "I'm still waiting, I'm still waiting; I wait and see. But I am happy that I will return back, I will not stay in prison. I'm happy that I'm going back to my family; seeing my family and my kids. I just spoke to my wife and kids now, they were very happy that I am returning home. This is something very beautiful and I really appreciate, and I'm willing to continue this for freedom of press." CAIRO, EGYPT (FILE - MARCH 19, 2015) (REUTERS) COURT IN SESSION DEFENCE LAWYERS ADDRESSING COURT DEFENCE LAWYER, KHALED ABU BAKR, ADDRESSING COURT VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS COURT IN SESSION (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDING JUDGE, HASSAN FARID, SAYING: "To 25 March 2015, and the court orders the forming of a specialist tripartite committee from the Egyptian Radio and Television Union that is different to the previous one." CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TO EGYPT, TROY LULASHNYK, SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) AL JAZEERA JOURNALIST AND DEFENDANT, MOHAMED FADEL FAHMY, SAYING: "Today the lead investigator who is the reason why we are wrongly in this cage has again failed to respond to questions that are very critical to this case. What is the criteria of being a Muslim Brotherhood? Why did he decide that I am a Muslim Brotherhood? On what basis? And more important than that, why did he even arrest us? The man has no answers." AL JAZEERA JOURNALISTS AND DEFENDANTS, MOHAMED FADEL FAHMY (RIGHT) AND BAHER MOHAMED (LEFT) STANDING OUTSIDE COURT (SOUNDBITE) (English) AL JAZEERA JOURNALIST AND DEFENDANT, BAHER MOHAMED, SAYING: "So today I think it was a success they all said that they were not responsible and they did not write the statements. So then who wrote those statements against us. This is a very big question mark for us. Who wrote those typical copy/paste statements. This is really important for us. How can somebody say that we published or we broadcasted materials against national security. And then the members are now saying that they didn't say that." JUDGE FARID ADDRESSING COURT MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE ASSIGNED BY PREVIOUS COURT TO REVIEW EVIDENCE VARIOUS OF DEFENDANTS' CAGE CAIRO, EGYPT (FILE - JUNE 25, 2015) (REUTERS) COURTROOM JUDGES, LAWYERS, DEFENDANTS DEFENDANTS STANDING JUDGES DEFENDANTS HUGGING FAMILY (MUTE) VARIOUS OF JOURNALIST TYPING ON COMPUTER VARIOUS OF COURT ROOM
- Embargoed: 12th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA4N34Q93F968TWQ53WQEI4K3QJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: An Egyptian court is due to hand down its verdict on Saturday (August 29) in the retrial of three Al Jazeera television journalists previously jailed for allegedly aiding the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Mohamed Fahmy, a naturalised Canadian who has given up his Egyptian citizenship, Egyptian Baher Mohamed and Australian Peter Greste were sentenced to up to ten years in prison in June 2014. Their convictions were overturned but a retrial was ordered this year.
Fahmy and Mohamed were freed on bail on February 12 this year after more than 400 days in prison, but the court said the case against them was still pending.
Greste was freed and deported in February.
Egyptian authorities accuse Qatar-based Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece of the Brotherhood -- the movement the army removed from power in 2013.
Al Jazeera denies the allegations.
The journalists were detained in December 2013 and say they were just doing their jobs.
Their imprisonment reinforced the view of human rights groups that the government was rolling back freedoms gained after the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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