Three Al-Jazeera English journalists were sentenced to three years in prison today in Egypt in a trial widely condemned by the international human rights community.
Three Al-Jazeera English journalists were sentenced to three years in prison today in Egypt in a trial widely condemned by the international human rights community.
Judge Hassan Farid sentenced Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fahmy, Egyptian Baher Mohamed, and Australian Peter Greste after they were found guilty of “spreading false news” and accused of aiding the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Mr. Greste was deported in February and was sentenced in absentia, while Mr. Fahmy and Mr. Mohamed were immediately taken into custody. The three were given longer prison terms during their original sentencing in July 2014, but a retrial was called for based on the lack of evidence.
Analysts say the sentence was much harsher than expected.
Al-Jazeera decried the verdict as “yet another deliberate attack on press freedom,” according to the BBC. Mr. Fahmy’s lawyer, Amal Clooney, said the decision sends “a dangerous message that there are judges in Egypt who will allow their courts to become instruments of political repression and propaganda,” as quoted by USA Today.