On Saturday, 29 August 2015, a criminal court in Cairo sentenced three journalists –
Mohamed Fahmy,
Baher Mohamed and
Peter Greste – to years in prison in a retrial of what has become known as the
Al-Jazeera case. (With them, three young Egyptians were also sentenced, although not ever having worked for the TV-Station Al-Jazeera.)
The criticism at the now second farcial and clearly politically motivated verdict, accusing the journalists of "falsifying news" and broadcasting material that was "harmful to national security" by covering events happening in Egypt in 2013, was powerful.
Human rights organisations, the world press and governments of the
US, the
UK, the
Netherlands voiced their outrage and concern at this travesty of justice.
For the Egyptian government of President Sisi this was to be expected, seeing that nothing was done before the verdict to prevent such a development. Yet after the criticism of the verdict, Egypt today
summoned the British Ambassador to express Egypt‘s rejection of
"unacceptable interference". Egypt thus hopes to silence the world with its justified criticism and reporting – and fails epically.
See here just a ‘small‘ number of international media that has covered the sham trial in Cairo against the journalists – who did nothing else but their job: report the truth.
You can't silence the press, Egypt, you can't. Stop trying.
And there's lots more in print.
In trying to silence reporting by three journalists, Egypt has evoked for over 20 months now a constant reporting by hundreds of media outlets the world over. If anything has damaged the reputation of Egypt, the stubborn ruthlessness by the regime to attack a free press and individual journalists has.
A shot-in-foot story if ever there was one. And unless the regime of President Sisi finally gets this, the reporting and subsequently damaging of Egypt's reputation will continue. Worldwide. For as long as such attacks continue and definitely until the journalists
Mohamed Fahmy and
Baher Mohamed, criminally held in jail now, are set free and allowed to return to their families.
Not to mention the
dozens of other journalists held without charges in Egypt's detention hell holes, in violation of Egyptian law and
even the Egyptian constitution.
Journalism is not a crime, Mr President Sisi. – Suppressing journalism is.
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