A preposterous verdict in Egypt

Trial of Al Jazeera journalists show how vulnerable journalists can be when working in situations such as one in Egypt

The jail sentences meted out to three Al Jazeera journalists by a court in Egypt, on charges of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood and tarnishing Egypt’s reputation after the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi by ‘spreading false news, are preposterous. Condemnations have been pouring in from governments and human rights organisations, while General Abdel Fattah elSisi, who removed Morsi, elected in 2012, in a July 2013 coup, has said the decision was an independent one by a court and should be respected.

The journalists sentenced to terms ranging from seven to 10 years, include Australian national Peter Greste and Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy who 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 British and Dutch governments have already summoned the Egyptian representatives in their nation to lodge strong complaints.

During the trial, video footage and podcasts produced by the journalists were aired. The harsh sentences meted out to the three men, arrested last December for ‘defaming’ Egypt in the aftermath of the Morsi ouster has left their families shaken with Fahmy’s brother saying in court they had “been destroyed”.

Beyond personal lives, what has also been demolished is any notion of media freedom in Egypt. The process of trial, with independent observers and media rights bodies pointing out that the journalists were only doing their job, also exposes just how vulnerable journalists can be when working in situations such as the one in Egypt. Right now, pressure is being piled up on the Sisi government. What impact it will have is unknown. But for media freedoms, this is one of the blackest of days, and we can only hope that as a result of the international outcry we are seeing, the three journalists currently confined to prison cells will be able to walk free. Their story tells us a great deal about media freedom and the manner in which autocratic set-ups everywhere in the world feel threatened by information brought before people by journalists, and the drastic measures they are ready to take to stop this flow.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2014.

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