VIDEO: Al-Jazeera Journalists Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison in Egypt
A Cairo court has sentenced three Al-Jazeera journalists to three years in prison on charges that legal experts said were unfounded and politically motivated. The move has sparked worldwide outrage, with the European Union describing the verdict as "a setback for freedom of expression in Egypt."A Cairo court has sentenced three Al-Jazeera journalists to three years in prison on charges that legal experts said were unfounded and politically motivated. Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed were led away from court after the verdict Saturday. Australian Peter Greste was deported to Australia earlier this year and was tried in absentia.
The move has sparked worldwide outrage, with the European Union describing the verdict as “a setback for freedom of expression in Egypt.” In this video, Amal Clooney, lawyer for defendant Mohamed Fahmy, calls on the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, to overturn the court’s decision.
According to Al-Jazeera, “the journalists had been initially found guilty in June 2014 of aiding a ‘terrorist organization,’ a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in Egypt after the army overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.” Read more here.
–Posted by Roisin Davis
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.