Al-Jazeera journos get 3 years in Egypt prison

Three Al-Jazeera journalists were on Saturday sentenced to three years in prison by an Egyptian court for spreading false news and endangering national security, in a case that has triggered an international outcry.The three — Canadian national Mohammed Fahmy, Australian journalist Peter Greste and Egyptian 

producer Baher Mohammed — were sentenced after a lengthy retrial. At least three other co-defendants, accused of working with Al-Jazeera, received similar sentences.All three were convicted last year on charges that included conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood, spreading false news and endangering national security, but they have maintained their innocence, saying they were simply reporting the news. They were also accused of operating without a press license.

The three journalists 

were originally sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. But their convictions were overturned in January this year and were freed in February to await retrial.

After Saturday’s verdict, Greste tweeted: “Shocked. Outraged. Angry. Upset. None of them convey how I feel right now. 3 yr sentences for @bahrooz, @MFFahmy11 and me is so wrong.” (sic)

Al-Jazeera English acting director-general Mostefa Souag said the sentence “defies logic and common sense”. “The whole case has been heavily politicised and has not been conducted in a free and fair manner,” Souag said.

The case began in December 2013, when Egyptian security forces raided the upscale hotel suite used by Al-Jazeera at the time to report from Egypt.

Authorities arrested the trio and later charged them with allegedly being part of former President Mohammed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood which was declared a terrorist organisation by authorities. They were accused of airing falsified footage to damage national security.

The earlier verdict brought a landslide of international condemnation. The country’s highest appeals court, later ordered their retrial, saying the initial proceedings were marred by violations of the defendants’ rights. Egypt deported Greste in February, though he remained charged in the case. Fahmy and Mohammed were released on bail.

Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera vowed on Saturday to appeal an Egyptian court verdict to sentence three of its journalists to three years in prison, calling it a "deliberate attack on press freedom". The Qatar-based broadcaster said it would appeal the "grotesque" verdict as soon as the Cairo court has explained its decision, and would also "intensify" its campaign to get its reporters freed.