Egypt orders retrial of Al Jazeera journalists

Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed were serving seven- to ten-year sentences on charges of aiding the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and publishing false news about Egypt.

File picture of Al Jazeera journalists Egyptian Baher Mohamed, left, Canadian-Egyptian Mohammed Fahmy, centre, and Australian Peter Greste, right, who appeared in a Cairo court on March 31, 2014 durinShow more

CAIRO // Egypt’s highest court cancelled jail sentences against three Al Jazeera journalists and ordered a retrial.

Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed were convicted in June of aiding the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and publishing false news about Egypt.

The three journalists, who were arrested in December 2013, will remain in prison until the new trial takes place.

“The Court of Cassation has accepted their appeal and ordered a retrial,” Mr Greste’s defence lawyer Amr Al Deeb said. The three journalists did not attend the hearing and a date for the retrial was not announced.

Mr Fahmy and Mr Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison, while Mr Mohammed was jailed for 10 years. The sentences were met with international condemnation.

The Qatar-based television news channel welcomed the retrial but called for its three staff members to be released or risk further damage to Egypt’s international standing.

“Their arrest was political, the sentencing was political and their being kept in prison is, for us, political,” said Mostafa Souag, Al Jazeera’s acting director general.

The reporters, who authorities say lacked proper accreditation, were arrested five months after the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Ties worsened when Qatar, a key backer of Mr Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, denounced his overthrow while Cairo accused Al Jazeera of coverage biased in favour of the Islamists.

The diplomatic row appears to be ending after mediation by Saudi Arabia, which along with the UAE is a key backer of the new president and former army chief, Abdel-Fattah El Sisi.

On December 20, Cairo told a Qatari envoy it was ready for a “new era” in relations. In return, Doha offered its “full support” to Mr El Sisi. Two days later, Al Jazeera announced the closure of its Egyptian channel.

Hopes for the journalists’ release have grown following the improvement in relations.

“I hope the reconciliation efforts between Egypt and Qatar continue for the sake of my brother and his colleagues,” Mr Fahmy’s brother Adel said.

Mr Mohamed’s wife Jihan welcomed the retrial as a “small but positive step towards my husband being freed”.

*Reuters and Agence France-Presse