http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...-canadian-of-suspected-terrorist-involvement/
Not really any pretenses any more, after removing the democratically elected president by violence, putting all meaningful political opposition in jail, beating up anybody who disagreed with their views, shutting down all opposition media and newspapers, shooting or arresting anyone who engaged in public protest, arresting anyone who challenged the government and then engaging in mass killing political prisoners, setting up transparently rigged "elections", the coup plotters now have gone full thug: 20 journalists are now on trial for supporting "terrorism", now so loosely defined as to mean writing stories with what they claim was a pro-Moris bias, or perhaps, just not biased enough in favour of the government. Specifically, the journalists have been charged with "influencing the public opinion" (yes, really) and running stories that made the state look bad. That's a crime in Egypt now apparently.
CAIRO — Egypt said 20 journalists, including four foreigners, working for Al-Jazeera will face trial on charges of joining or aiding a terrorist group and endangering national security — an escalation that raised fears of a crackdown on freedom of the press.
It was the first time authorities have put journalists on trial on terror-related charges, suggesting they are expanding their heavy-handed crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood since the military’s ouster of President Mohammed Morsi on July 3.
The full list of charges and names of defendants has not been issued, but they are known to include three men working for Al-Jazeera English — acting bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian, award-winning correspondent Peter Greste of Australia and producer Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian. They were arrested Dec. 29.
The charges are based on the government’s designation last month of the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
Authorities have long depicted the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network as biased toward Mr. Morsi and the Brotherhood. But police largely targeted its Arabic service and its Egyptian affiliate, which remained one of the few TV stations to provide a platform for the Brotherhood after the government crackdown.
While journalists have been detained before, the decision to refer cases to trial is unprecedented, experts said.
Al-Jazeera denies bias and has demanded the release of its reporters, whose arrest sparked an outcry from rights groups and journalist advocacy organizations.
The prosecutor’s office said Wednesday 16 Egyptians in the case are accused of joining a terrorist group, while an Australian, a Dutch citizen and two Britons were accused of helping to promote false news benefiting the terrorist group.
The 20 journalists allegedly set up a media centre for the Muslim Brotherhood in two suites in a luxury hotel.
The statement said the defendants “manipulated pictures” to create “unreal scenes to give the impression to the outside world that there is a civil war that threatens to bring down the state.” They also broadcast scenes to aid “the terrorist group in achieving its goals and influencing the public opinion.”
Mr. Fahmy’s brother, Adel, said the family had given evidence to prosecutors showing Mohammed Fahmy was not paid by the Muslim Brotherhood and did not adhere to its conservative lifestyle.
He said his brother has been kept in a high-security prison with Islamists and terror suspects.
“This is a cooked case and they are trying to make it bigger than what it is,” Adel Fahmy said.
Another relative said Mohammed Fahmy’s condition has sharply deteriorated in the past week. Fahmy has been denied food from outside, books and forced to sleep on the floor without a blanket. He has not been allowed out of his cell to exercise and has no concept of time.
- - -
Prior to working at Al Jazeera English, Fahmy worked at CNN and the New York Times. Greste has worked for CNN and for the BBC. They are both respected journalists, neither of which live the sort of conservative lifestyle associated with islamists. In fact, they appear to have been doing nothing other than reporting on the turmoil in Egypt, showing images from the street the Generals didn't like people seeing, and giving airtime to the Muslim Brotherhood contrary to the wishes of the Generals. In other words, doing their jobs properly as journalists, and nothing more.
Not really any pretenses any more, after removing the democratically elected president by violence, putting all meaningful political opposition in jail, beating up anybody who disagreed with their views, shutting down all opposition media and newspapers, shooting or arresting anyone who engaged in public protest, arresting anyone who challenged the government and then engaging in mass killing political prisoners, setting up transparently rigged "elections", the coup plotters now have gone full thug: 20 journalists are now on trial for supporting "terrorism", now so loosely defined as to mean writing stories with what they claim was a pro-Moris bias, or perhaps, just not biased enough in favour of the government. Specifically, the journalists have been charged with "influencing the public opinion" (yes, really) and running stories that made the state look bad. That's a crime in Egypt now apparently.
CAIRO — Egypt said 20 journalists, including four foreigners, working for Al-Jazeera will face trial on charges of joining or aiding a terrorist group and endangering national security — an escalation that raised fears of a crackdown on freedom of the press.
It was the first time authorities have put journalists on trial on terror-related charges, suggesting they are expanding their heavy-handed crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood since the military’s ouster of President Mohammed Morsi on July 3.
The full list of charges and names of defendants has not been issued, but they are known to include three men working for Al-Jazeera English — acting bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian, award-winning correspondent Peter Greste of Australia and producer Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian. They were arrested Dec. 29.
The charges are based on the government’s designation last month of the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
Authorities have long depicted the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network as biased toward Mr. Morsi and the Brotherhood. But police largely targeted its Arabic service and its Egyptian affiliate, which remained one of the few TV stations to provide a platform for the Brotherhood after the government crackdown.
While journalists have been detained before, the decision to refer cases to trial is unprecedented, experts said.
Al-Jazeera denies bias and has demanded the release of its reporters, whose arrest sparked an outcry from rights groups and journalist advocacy organizations.
The prosecutor’s office said Wednesday 16 Egyptians in the case are accused of joining a terrorist group, while an Australian, a Dutch citizen and two Britons were accused of helping to promote false news benefiting the terrorist group.
The 20 journalists allegedly set up a media centre for the Muslim Brotherhood in two suites in a luxury hotel.
The statement said the defendants “manipulated pictures” to create “unreal scenes to give the impression to the outside world that there is a civil war that threatens to bring down the state.” They also broadcast scenes to aid “the terrorist group in achieving its goals and influencing the public opinion.”
Mr. Fahmy’s brother, Adel, said the family had given evidence to prosecutors showing Mohammed Fahmy was not paid by the Muslim Brotherhood and did not adhere to its conservative lifestyle.
He said his brother has been kept in a high-security prison with Islamists and terror suspects.
“This is a cooked case and they are trying to make it bigger than what it is,” Adel Fahmy said.
Another relative said Mohammed Fahmy’s condition has sharply deteriorated in the past week. Fahmy has been denied food from outside, books and forced to sleep on the floor without a blanket. He has not been allowed out of his cell to exercise and has no concept of time.
- - -
Prior to working at Al Jazeera English, Fahmy worked at CNN and the New York Times. Greste has worked for CNN and for the BBC. They are both respected journalists, neither of which live the sort of conservative lifestyle associated with islamists. In fact, they appear to have been doing nothing other than reporting on the turmoil in Egypt, showing images from the street the Generals didn't like people seeing, and giving airtime to the Muslim Brotherhood contrary to the wishes of the Generals. In other words, doing their jobs properly as journalists, and nothing more.
