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Monday June 23, 2014 - Press
Freedom in Egypt receives a blow as three Al Jazeera journalists given a total of twenty four
years. Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to seven
years in jail, while Baher Mohamed was sentenced
to an additional three years for possession of
ammunition. Mohamed was in possession of a spent
bullet he had found on the ground during a
protest. The international and respected broadcaster Al Jazeera has reported that an Egyptian court has sentenced journalists working for the organisation to prison terms. According to Al Jazeera - "Two Al Jazeera English journalists have been sentenced to seven years in jail and one to 10 years by an Egyptian court on charges including aiding the Muslim Brotherhood and reporting false news. Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed were arrested in December in Cairo as they covered the aftermath of the army's removal of Mohamed Morsi from the presidency in July. The guilty verdicts were delivered by a judge on Monday against Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed. Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to seven years in jail, while Baher Mohamed was sentenced to an additional three years for possession of ammunition. Mohamed was in possession of a spent bullet he had found on the ground during a protest. Other Al Jazeera journalists being tried in absentia were sentenced to 10 years. Their names are: Alaa Bayoumi, Anas Abdel-Wahab Khalawi Hasan, Khaleel Aly Khaleel Bahnasy, Mohamed Fawzi, Dominic Kane and Sue Turton. Al Jazeera has always rejected the charges against its journalists and maintains their innocence. Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed were arrested in December in Cairo as they covered the aftermath of the army's removal of Mohamed Morsi from the presidency in July. The prosecution said Greste, Al Jazeera's east Africa correspondent, and his Egypt bureau colleagues aided the Brotherhood and produced false news reports of the situation in Egypt. The Brotherhood, which supported Morsi, was listed as a "terrorist" organisation by the interim Egyptian government shortly before the accused were arrested. Australian Peter Greste is a brave, very brave journalist, who like his colleagues are committed to reporting objectively on events on their patch, not blinking an eyelid when confronted by threats that they report favourably on behalf of any group or person. His country's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has already given a press briefing in which she said that there were many options to be considered in obtaining freedom for Peter. This could include an appeal, getting communication lines open directly to Egyptian President Sisi as well as comforting the relations of the man. The BBC, for whom Peter Greste had reported before stated - "The trial has caused an international outcry amid claims it is politicised. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters on Monday she was "bitterly disappointed" by the outcome. "I simply cannot understand how a court could come to this conclusion," she said. Correspondents say evidence put forward earlier in court did nothing to support the serious charges brought. Another international broadcaster CNN stated "In an interview on Al Jazeera shortly after the verdicts were read, Amnesty International director Steve Crawshaw deplored what he called an "outrageous ruling" and called it an "absolute affront to justice." Mostefa Souag, the acting director general of Al Jazeera, called the verdict "shocking" in a televised interview. "I don't think it has anything to do with justice," he said, calling it another step in Egypt's "campaign of terrorizing people and terrorizing the media." Al Jazeera English managing director Al Anstey said in a statement that the sentencing "defies logic, sense, and any semblance of justice." "There is only one sensible outcome now," Anstey added. "For the verdict to be overturned, and justice to be recognized by Egypt. We must keep our voice loud to call for an end to their detention.
Mohamed Lotfy, executive
director of the Egyptian
Commission for Rights and
Freedoms who has observed
every session of the trial
for Amnesty, said the
verdict sent a chilling
message to all opposition
figures in Egypt. "It's a
warning to all journalists
that they could one day face
a similar trial and
conviction simply for
carrying out their official
duties," Lotfy said. "This
feeds into a wider picture
of a politicised judiciary
and the use of trials to
crack down on all opposition
voices."
One report gives this reaction from UK Prime
Minister Cameron -
David Cameron is
"completely appalled" by
the jail sentences
handed down to three Al Jazeera journalists in
Egypt, Downing Street
has said. Responding to the
verdicts, a Number 10
spokesperson said: "The
Prime Minister is
completely appalled by
the guilty verdicts". She said the UK would
"continue to raise this
case with the Egyptian
Government," and added
that Mr Cameron was "particularly
concerned" at reports of
procedural issues with
the trial.
UK Foreign
Secretary William Hague has not only called for
a review of the "appalling sentences" urging
Egypt takes another look at the entire fiasco
but that the Egyptian Ambassador to the Court of
St James would be invited to the Foreign Office.
Rights group, Amnesty International noted on its
website -
"The conviction today of
three Al Jazeera English journalists accused of
“falsifying news” and belonging to or assisting
the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt
is a ferocious attack on media freedom, said
Amnesty International.
“This is a devastating
verdict for the men and their families, and a
dark day for media freedom in Egypt, when
journalists are being locked up and branded
criminals or ‘terrorists’ simply for doing their
job,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle
East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“The only reason these
three men are in jail is because the Egyptian
authorities don’t like what they have to say.
They are prisoners of conscience and must be
immediately and unconditionally released. In
Egypt today anyone who dares to challenge the
state’s narrative is considered a legitimate
target.”
An Amnesty International
trial observer recorded several irregularities
and examples of complete ineptitude during the
proceedings. In 12 court sessions, the
prosecution failed to produce a single shred of
solid evidence linking the journalists to a
terrorism organization or proving they had
“falsified” news footage.
“The trial was a complete
sham. Consigning these men to years in prison
after such a farcical spectacle is a travesty of
justice,” said Philip Luther.
We await reactions from the government of the
rat in Freetown as one of its "enemies of the
state" journalists are given these prison terms
after a show trial that was as unfair as it was
politically-motivated and vindictive. Remember
the muck thrown at respected international
journalist Sorious Samura after he exposed the
illegal logging going on under the nose of the
rat? He was described as an
enemy of the state.
Well we need not remind our great readers as to
why the Chief of Staff, one Richard Konteh was
sacked.
He
was sacked for alleged corruption over mining
and timber deals.
Please read this
statement from the
government in reaction to the Al
Jazeera documentary by Sorious Samura. |
