Outrage as Egypt jails Al Jazeera journalists

CAIRO — An Egyptian court sentenced three Al Jazeera journalists including Australia’s Peter Greste to jail terms from seven to 10 years Monday in a verdict denounced internationally as “chilling” and “unjust”.

Greste and Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy each got seven years, while Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed received two sentences — one for seven years and another for three.

Eleven defendants tried in absentia, including one Dutch journalist and two British journalists, were given 10-year sentences.

The verdict provoked an international outcry and raised fears of growing media restrictions in Egypt.

“Today’s conviction is obviously a chilling and draconian sentence,” US Secretary of State John Kerry told journalists in Baghdad, a day after he visited Cairo where he urged Egyptian leaders to uphold press freedom.

The Australian government said it was “shocked” by the verdict.

“We are deeply dismayed that a sentence has been imposed and appalled at the severity of it,” Canberra’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

“It is hard to credit that the court in this case could have reached this conclusion,” she added.

Al Jazeera chief Mustafa Sawaq said in Doha: “We condemn... this kind of unjust verdict. ... We are shocked.”

Greste’s brother Andrew said he was devastated.

“It is definitely not what we were expecting. I was hoping for acquittal... we will continue to fight for his freedom,” he said.

Ambassadors summoned 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said she was “shocked and alarmed” by the verdicts and urged a review of Egyptian laws.

“Media employees trying to carry out their work in Egypt are now confronted by an extremely difficult and dangerous environment. They should be protected not prosecuted,” she said.

In The Hague, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said he had summoned Egypt’s ambassador and would raise the matter with his EU colleagues after Dutch journalist Rena Netjes, tried in absentia, “did not get a fair trial”.

London also said it was summoning Cairo’s envoy, and David Cameron’s spokesman said the premier was “completely appalled” by the verdicts issued in absentia against two British journalists working for Al Jazeera.

Human Rights Watch’s Joe Stork said the verdict shows “how Egypt’s judges have been caught up in the anti-Muslim Brotherhood hysteria fostered by President [Abdel Fattah] Al Sisi”.

But the foreign ministry in Cairo said Egypt’s “judiciary enjoys full independence” and stressed that the defendants “still have the right to appeal”.

Of the six defendants in custody along with Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed, four were sentenced to seven years and two were acquitted.

“They will pay for this, they will pay for this. I promise!” Fahmy shouted from the dock after hearing the verdict.

A presidency official said Sisi “legally can’t [pardon them]... a pardon can be given only after the final court ruling”.

All of the defendants had been accused of aiding the blacklisted Brotherhood and tarnishing Egypt’s reputation after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by “spreading false news”.

Since the army ousted Morsi in July 2013, the authorities have been incensed by the Qatari network’s coverage of their deadly crackdown on his supporters.

They consider Al Jazeera to be the voice of Qatar and accuse Doha of backing the Brotherhood. The Gulf state has denounced the repression of the Islamist movement’s supporters which has killed more than 1,400 people.

‘There is no justice’ 

“All journalists should fear for themselves now that there is no justice. Politics is the master,” said defence lawyer Shaaban Saeed.

Al Jazeera says only nine of the 20 defendants are on its staff, including the two British reporters based abroad.

Sixteen defendants are Egyptians who were accused of belonging to the Brotherhood, which the authorities designated a “terrorist organisation” in December.

The four foreigners — Greste, Netjes and Britons Sue Turton and Dominic Kane — were alleged to have collaborated with and assisted their Egyptian co-defendants by providing media material, as well as editing and broadcasting it.

The authorities also say the accused journalists were operating without valid accreditation.

The defendants had denounced the trial as “unfair and political”, charging that evidence had been “fabricated”.

Prosecutors showed video from a tourism report, not even produced by Al Jazeera, and images and audio recordings in which the defendants were alleged to have falsely portrayed a “civil war”.

Greste and Fahmy were arrested in a Cairo hotel on December 29.

The award-winning Greste formerly worked with the BBC and Fahmy, the Cairo bureau chief of Al Jazeera English who previously worked with CNN, has no known Brotherhood ties.