Courts, Free Speech, International, Politics

Court In Egypt Sentences Al-Jazeera Reporters To Three Years Imprisonment

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Flag of EgyptWe previously wrote HERE and HERE of the arrest, conviction, and sentencing several Al-Jazeera reporters for the dubious accusation of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood through their coverage of the “civil war” in Egypt.

Now in its latest retrial, the Court sentenced Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed to three years imprisonment for operating without a press license and broadcasting material harmful to the state. An international outcry likely will follow.

Judge Hassan Farid declared the defendants “are not journalists and not members of the press syndicate” and claimed they broadcast with unlicensed equipment. Fortunately, Australian Peter Greste had been deported months earlier yet was nevertheless convicted and sentenced in absentia. In the original trial they were sentenced to ten years imprisonment.

Messrs. Fahmy and Mohamed were retaken into custody after the verdict, having been released in February after serving a year in detention.

By Darren Smith

Source:

eKurd Daily

The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.

75 thoughts on “Court In Egypt Sentences Al-Jazeera Reporters To Three Years Imprisonment”

  1. TROLL: verb (used with object):
    7.
    Digital Technology, Informal.
    a) to post inflammatory or inappropriate messages or comments on (the Internet, especially a message board) for the purpose of upsetting other users and provoking a response.
    b) to upset or provoke (other users) by posting such messages or comments.

    Hi Nick!

  2. This thread isn’t about the cop that was shot in Texas. This thread is about freedom of speech and people getting imprisoned for it.

  3. Karen S.
    “We are a nation founded on freedoms, and we can all see what happens in countries where those freedoms do not exist. We do not want to slide into that morass.”
    = = =
    A GOP presidential hopeful and pension thief, N.J. Governor Chris Christie thinks UPS has the solution to illegal immigration… barcode tracking systems. Of course… brown shirts look best with UPS. How did that whole bar code tracking idea go the last time someone thought that idea was a good one? And to think, it wa an American company that came to the rescue… https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/IBM.html

  4. Hijacked thread. Lot’s of lectures and hatin’ on cops but no mention of the cop assassinated in Houston. If you gave some trolls truth serum they would say, “Good, it’s payback time.”

  5. Annie,
    There is this thing called reality and then there is this thing called their reality…
    … It’s a red pill – blue pill sort of thing. Where’s Neo?

  7. Max, I hope you’re right. Sometimes I think maybe he just doesn’t really know what he’s saying.

  9. Annie,
    I’ll interpret Paul C.’s interaction here in this thread as a counterpoint and devil’s advocate to the reality we Americans face. Yes, thanks to Obama, America does kill other Americans sans Due Process. And, thanks to this evil called the War OF Terror, America does jail journalists. Paul’s playing the other side of the coin out of pure boredom… I hope.

  10. I admire Amal Clooney for fighting for human rights in the Middle East.

    Here in the US, people have the freedom of speech to condemn others’ freedom of speech, but they are not supposed to have the power to actually silence anyone. That’s what I’ve found so troubling when people try to destroy someone’s livelihood for stating an opposing point of view, as has been seen many times in the news, recently.

    We are a nation founded on freedoms, and we can all see what happens in countries where those freedoms do not exist. We do not want to slide into that morass.

  11. Max, your article about the professor at West Point was right on topic for this thread. Why would Americans want to see those who engage in free speech be imprisoned, or even killed like in countries like Egypt? I sometimes have to wonder why some commenter’s here seem to want to plunge headfirst into the fascist states we so hate.

    Paul C. Schulte
    1, August 30, 2015 at 4:20 pm
    Second, fifth columnists are always the enemy and by the rules of the Geneva Convention can be shot on the spot.

    Paul C. Schulte
    1, August 30, 2015 at 4:44 pm
    I think we have some presidential findings on the books that allow us to kill anyone we want on US soil.

  12. Annie,
    We’ve been invited to leave the anti-American and pro anti-free speech discussion…
    … We just aren’t their kind of people. Too much tree huggy – hippy trippy – freedom marching for them.

    I know, they’d rather gather under the Washington Memorial and cry about how the Government has it’s hands on their Medicare…

  13. Max, Paul seems to be advocating the killing of Americans for speech. That’s beyond the pale, even for him.

  15. Egypt summons UK ambassador in row over al-Jazeera convictions
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/30/al-jazeera-convictions-egypt-summons-uk-ambassador?CMP=twt_b-gdnnews

    In a statement following the ruling, Casson said: “I am shocked and concerned by the sentences issued by the court today. This case has attracted international attention not least because of the presence of foreign citizens among the accused, including two British citizens.”

    He said Britain supported stability in Egypt, but added: “The question today is whether this will be a fragile and temporary stability on the basis of suspending freedoms of media and expression and depriving individuals of their rights in the Egyptian constitution? Or whether we are building a strong, long-term stability based on free expression and free media, with the rule of law applied independently to all individuals, regardless of political agendas or vested interests?”

  16. Max, I dont know. There must be some sort of major cognitive dissonance going on in their minds.

    1. Inga and Max-1 – if you are upset with the discussion, please feel free to leave.

      1. Paul, it’s not your place to tell anyone to leave for comments that upset YOU. I don’t believe Max or I are “upset” with any discussion here.

        1. Inga – are you having trouble reading? I didn’t tell you to leave.

  17. Annie,
    Now why would people flock to a LAW BLAWG to support killing journalists?

  20. Annie
    Don’t ya just love a Law blog site whose posters are against free exercise of the press?

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