Egypt: Court Orders Retrial for Journalists

Kenyan journalists support colleagues detained in Egypt.
1 January 2015

Egypt's highest court has ordered a retrial of three Al Jazeera journalists serving jail terms of up to 10 years for doing their work.

The news channel reported a defence lawyer as saying Thursday that the country's Court of Cassation had "accepted their appeal".

Lawyers expected that the retrial would be held within a month but the journalists, Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, were denied bail.

The men's families were reported to be disappointed at Egypt's failure to release them immediately. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said last November that had he been in power when they were arrested, he woul have expelled them rather than put them on trial. "This issue is currently under discussion so that we may find a solution," he added.

The journalists were sentenced last June to jail terms ranging from seven to 10 years on charges including broadcasting false news and involvement with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

Amnesty International has reported that the prosecution had "failed to produce a single shred of solid evidence linking the journalists to a terrorism organization or proving they had 'falsified' news footage".

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.