Court to rule on Al Jazeera journalists today

Saturday 29-08-2015 10:23 AM
Court to rule on Al Jazeera journalists today
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CAIRO, Aug 29 (Aswat Masriya) - An Egyptian court is scheduled to rule on Saturday on three journalists who worked for the Qatari news network Al Jazeera accused of spreading false news.

Canadian national Mohamed Fahmy, Egyptian national Baher Mohamed and Australian national Peter Greste are being retried for defaming Egypt and spreading false news, after the Cassation Court dropped their seven to 10 years in prison sentences in January.

The verdict was scheduled to be issued on July 30, yet it was postponed twice since that date.

"Nervously optimistic; as judgment nears the adrenaline rises," Fahmy tweeted ahead of the trial. "Knowing press and family are there for us is a mountain of support."

Saturday's session was attended by Fahmy's international lawyer, Amal Clooney. The Canadian, Dutch and British ambassadors to Cairo were also among the attendants.

The three journalists were arrested from the Marriott Hotel in Cairo's posh island of Zamalek in December 2013 and initially sentenced to prison in June 2014. They spent no less than 400 days in prison before their release in February 2015 on different days and under different conditions.

The defendants' prison sentences were widely condemned worldwide and opened the door for scrutinising press freedoms in Egypt.

Greste was the first of the trio to be granted his freedom. 

He was released on February 1 after spending 400 days behind bars. He was immediately deported as per a presidential decree, which allows the deportation of foreign defendants and convicts "whenever the [state's] supreme interest necessitate so."

He has been out of the country since his deportation.

Greste told Aswat Masriya in an interview in July he respected the judicial process and expects the court's upcoming decision to demonstrate "that it is both fair and just."   

In the hopes of benefiting from the same decree which saw Greste released, Fahmy, who held a dual Egyptian-Canadian citizenship prior to the trial, revoked his Egyptian citizenship in February.

Yet, giving up his nationality did not speed up his release and both he and Mohamed were released as per a court order on the same day, February 12.

While all three journalists were found guilty of defaming Egypt and spreading false news, Mohamed was sentenced to three more years for arms possession; a spent bullet casing.

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