Egypt: Al Jazeera journalists 'to face charges'

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Channel 4 News

Three Al Jazeera journalists were detained in Cairo on December 30th by Egyptian authorities. Al Jazeera's Mohamed Fahmy, former BBC Correspondent Peter Greste and producer Baher Mohamed have been held in detention while being investigated by authorities.

A further two journalists from the broadcaster's Arabic-language channel - reporter Abdullah al-Shami and cameraman Mohammed Badr - were detained last year and have been in prison since August.

His Excellency Ambassador Salah Abdel Sadek, confirmed that an investigation into Al Jazeera journalists has now been completed and a decision has been made to bring charges.

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Mr Sadek did not specify which of the five journalists have been charged, or whether this includes the two Al-Jazeera Arabic broadcasters.

When asked what the men had been charged with, Mr Sadek told Channel 4 News that the journalists were "not working under the law and breaking the law by not being accredited".

Read more: http://www.channel4.com/news/egypt-al-jazeera-journalists-to-face-charges-greste-fahmy

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Extract from Jon Snow, of Channel 4's , Snowmail on the subject :

Egypt's crackdown on free press

At least five journalists and technicians working for Arab news channel Al Jazeera are said to have now been charged with criminal offences. They've been held without charge and without any court appearance for a month. The man in charge of information in the Egyptian government, Ambassador Salah, told us this morning that the men have been charged - they are four Arabs, one of whom has a Canadian passport, and one Australian - Peter Grester, a seasoned and respected correspondent. On the other hand there is some confusion about whether they have actually been charged - another version says they "face charges".

Either way, all the signs are that this military regime is battening down the hatches on a free press. One of the charges, the information supremo told us of, relates to tapes that were in the men’s possession which he said had incorrect information in them. Once government’s start talking about incorrect information you are on a very slippery slope indeed. Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Miller is on the case.

web version here : https://mailing.channel4.com/public/read_message.jsp;jsessionid=0;apw69?sigreq=196938315

[TwilightGardener]

1. I see they've decided to follow the North Korea model.

Might get a little weird.

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. And they're trying the deposed president behind a soundproof glass cage.

All those coup supporters last summer seem to have gone silent.

[Scootaloo]

3. yeah, whatever happened to all those guys?

I know one of them finally got banned after even Skinner got sick of the islamophobic propaganda the poster was churning out (which is saying something) but there are plenty of others who were just as happy to watch a military coup and resultant bloodbath, who are still posting.

It's sort of like the posters who were screaming for war with Syria to "send a message" - ask around and suddenly no such people ever walked the earth, much less DU.