Thursday, 1 January 2015

Egyptian Court Orders Retrial Of Al Jazeera Journalists

Defense lawyers on Thursday said, Egypt’s highest
court has ordered a retrial of three Al Jazeera television
journalists that was jailed, citing procedural flaws in last
year’s trial.
Reuters report:Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian
Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher
Mohamed were sentenced to seven to 10 years
on charges including spreading lies to help a
“terrorist organization” — a reference to the
outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
The trial was condemned by human rights
groups and Western governments and prompted
the United Nations to questionEgypt’s judicial
independence. The case has also contributed to
tensions between Egypt and Qatar, where Al
Jazeera is based. The reporters’ imprisonment
is a thorny issue for President Abdel Fattah al-
Sisi as he seeks to prove his commitment to
democratic reforms. He could pardon or deport
them but has so far refused to intervene, citing
the independent judiciary.
Relatives’ hopes the retrial decision would
include an immediate release on bail for the
men, held for over a year in the tough Tora
Prison, were disappointed, but their lawyers can
apply for bail at the first retrial hearing. Two
defense attorneys said the new proceedings
could begin within a month although the judge
had not set a date.
“They will not be released until they appear
before the new chamber, which will decide
whether to release them or not,” said Mostafa
Nagy, who represents Greste and Mohamed.

Source-Informationng

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