EGYPT-JAZEERA/GRESTE-POSTPONED Egyptian court adjourns Al Jazeera journalists trial to Thursday

Record ID: 149683

  • Title: EGYPT-JAZEERA/GRESTE-POSTPONED Egyptian court adjourns Al Jazeera journalists trial to Thursday
  • Date: 1st June 2015
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (JUNE 1, 2015) (REUTERS) COURT IN SESSION PROSECUTION PANEL COURT ATTENDEES, INCLUDING CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TO EGYPT, TROY LULASHNYK LULASHNYK COURT IN SESSION PRESIDING JUDGE, HASSAN FARID DEFENCE LAWYER, KHALED ABU BAKR (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDING JUDGE, HASSAN FARID, SAYING: "The decision. The court has decided to adjourn the court until the fourth of Jun
  • Embargoed: 16th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4TMPHC9JK4DEFTF9LAAX9MHLX
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A Cairo court on Monday (June 1), adjourned the trial of three Al Jazeera television journalists for four days after hearing the prosecution's closing argument that their reporting had endangered Egypt's national security.
    "The decision. The court has decided to adjourn the court until the fourth of June 2015 for the defence deliberations with the continuation of the previous protective measures," said presiding judge Hassan Farid.
    Australian journalist Peter Greste, who was released in February after 400 days in jail and deported, has not returned for the trial.
    Mohamed Fahmy, a naturalised Canadian who gave up his Egyptian citizenship, and Egyptian Baher Mohamed were present to hear the argument that their meetings with members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and use of the word "coup" to describe the army's July 2013 seizure of power had harmed the country.
    The three were arrested in December 2013 and originally sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison on charges including spreading lies to help a terrorist organisation.
    Egypt's high court ordered a retrial in January and Fahmy and Mohamed were released on bail in February, shortly after Greste was deported.
    The three journalists, whose case prompted an international outcry, were arrested after several months of protests by Muslim Brotherhood supporters against the ousting of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi.
    Egyptian authorities accuse Qatar-based Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece of the Brotherhood, which was outlawed as a terrorist organisation after army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi unseated Mursi.
    Greste told Reuters last week he feared he would be found guilty in absentia at the retrial.
    Egyptian courts usually declare absent defendants guilty as charged and give them the option of a retrial if they turn themselves in.
    Greste has requested to appear via video link ahead of the court, however his lawyer explained that Egyptian law does not permit video appearances.
    "The video link issue is non-existent in Egyptian law therefore the request is impermissible. If a request was made to the court, it (the court) will not respond. The Egyptian procedural law did not permit a trial through video link," said Mostafa Nagy.
    At Monday's session, the presiding judge mentioned Greste only at the beginning of the session and the prosecution did not refer to him by name in its concluding argument.
    On May 11, Fahmy announced that he had filed a lawsuit against Al Jazeera accusing them of negligence and has demanded $100 million in compensation.
    Outside court he said separating the journalists from their employer, on a number of issues, will make up part of their main defence.
    "Me, Baher and Peter produced balanced reports, we took care of business, we were not in any way biased or broke any laws however the network did and this separation is part of our main defence and we will present it on June 4th," said Fahmy.
    The court will hear the defence's closing arguments in the June 4 session.
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