Egypt jailing of Jazeera journalists sparks world outcry

CAIRO

An Egyptian court verdict sentencing three journalists from Al Jazeera’s English-language service to three years each has triggered a storm of world condemnation.

The court on Saturday jailed Canadian Mohamed Fahmy, Egyptian Baher and Australian Peter Greste – who was deported to his home country in January – for allegedly “spreading false news” and supporting the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Mohamed was given an additional six months – and slapped with a fine – for possessing "a spent bullet casing".

In a Sunday statement, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon regretted the verdict and called for resolving the case “in accordance with Egypt’s international obligations to protect freedom of expression”.

"The secretary-general underscores once again the importance of pluralism and respect for fundamental freedoms for the long-term prosperity and stability of Egypt,” his spokesperson said.

The US Department of State said it was “deeply disappointed” by the Egyptian verdict.

“We urge the government of Egypt to take all available measures to redress this verdict, which undermines the very freedom of expression necessary for stability and development,” it said in a statement.

The EU said the guilty sentences against the journalists represented a “setback for freedom of expression in Egypt”.

Australian Foreign Minister Julia Bishop said she was “dismayed by the decision”.

“[We] will continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues to clear Greste's name,” she said.

Farcical

Rights group Amnesty International denounced Saturday’s court verdict as “farcical” and an “affront to justice”.

“This is a farcical verdict which strikes at the heart of freedom of expression in Egypt,” Philip Luther, Amnesty’s director for the Middle East and North Africa, said. “The charges against Mohamed Fahmy, Peter and Baher Mohamed were always baseless and politicized, and they should never have been arrested and tried in the first place.”

The three reporters were originally detained in Cairo in 2013 shortly after Egyptian authorities branded the Muslim Brotherhood – the group from which ousted President Mohamed Morsi hails – a "terrorist" organization.

In June of last year, the three were all given jail terms ranging from seven to 10 years each after being convicted of "broadcasting false news" and "threatening Egypt's national security".

In February, however, an Egyptian court ordered a retrial for the three reporters.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the trial “has been carried out without evidence”.

Rights group Reporters Without Borders also condemned the verdict as “disgraceful”.

“We firmly condemn the disgraceful ‘political’ verdict issued at the end of the retrial of these Al-Jazeera journalists,” the group’s secretary-general Christophe Deloire said.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was also critical of the ruling.

“We are very disturbed by these three sentences and the extra pressure it creates on journalists in Egypt who are just trying to do their jobs,” spokesman Prince Zeid bin Raad said.

Groundless

Al Jazeera network described the Egyptian trial of its three journalists as “politicized”.

“The whole case has been heavily politicized and has not been conducted in a free and fair manner,” Al Jazeera Media Network’s Acting Director General Mostefa Souag said.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry, for its part, denounced criticism of Saturday’s verdict against Al Jazeera journalists as “unacceptable”.

“Repeated attempts to mix up the cards and give the impression that the verdicts aim to restrict freedom of the press are groundless,” ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu-Zeid said in a statement.

He insisted that the journalists had “committed legal offenses”.

“There are thousands of Egyptian and non-Egyptian journalists who are working freely in Egypt,” he said.

The Egyptian government accuses the Qatar-based Al Jazeera of harboring bias in favor of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group – an allegation the channel denies.

Relations between Cairo and Doha have been tense due to the latter's criticism of the 2013 military coup against Morsi.