JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced three Al Jazeera journalists to three years in prison after a lengthy retrial.
The Cairo criminal court ruled that Al Jazeera journalists broadcasted 'false news' and worked without registration, sentencing Mohamed Fahmy to three years in prison and Baher Mohamed to three and a half years in prison. Australian Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste, who was deported from Egypt in February 2015, was convicted in his absence and sentence to three years in prison.
The guilty verdicts handed down against Al Jazeera journalists are an affront to justice that sound the death knell for freedom of expression in Egypt, said Amnesty International.
'This is a farcical verdict which strikes at the heart of freedom of expression in Egypt. The charges against Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed were always baseless and politicized, and they should never have been arrested and tried in the first place,' said Philip Luther, Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
'The fact that two of these journalists are now facing time in jail following two grossly unfair trials makes a mockery of justice in Egypt. Today's verdict must be overturned immediately - Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed should be allowed to walk free without conditions. We consider them to be prisoners of conscience, jailed solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression,' said Philip Luther.
Al Jazeera Media Network's Acting Director General Dr Mostefa Souag said, 'Today's verdict is yet another deliberate attack on press freedom. It is a dark day for the Egyptian judiciary; rather than defend liberties and a free and fair media, they have compromised their independence for political reasons.'
Amnesty International is also urging the Egyptian authorities to facilitate Mohamed Fahmy's request for deportation from Egypt to Canada.
Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed had been on bail since Egypt's highest court of appeal overturned their previous conviction on 1 January 2015. They were previously serving seven and 10-year prison sentences respectively. Both men can now appeal the verdict once more before the Court of Cassation.
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