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The Verdict Against the 3 Al-Jazeera Journalists in Egypt ‘Sends a Very Dangerous Message’

August 31, 2015
Al-Jazeera English journalist Mohammed Fahmy (left) talks to human rights lawyer Amal Clooney before his verdict in a courtroom in Tora prison in Cairo. Credit: Amr Nabil/ AP

The ruling of the high profile and globally publicized three Al Jazeera journalists arrested in Egypt which was uttered on August 29 is an ominous signal to all journalists operating in the country, expressed NGOs and various governments. The ruling, which is a three year prison sentence for Mohammed Fahmy and Peter Greste, along with a three years and six months in prison for Baher Mohammed is widely condemned by NGOs and other politically powerful countries such as the U.S, Germany and the United Kingdom. The issue with the verdict, as pointed out by the prominent human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney, is that the verdict “sends a very dangerous message.” To the many spectators in Egypt and around the world who have followed the ‘AJ Staff’ case as it dragged on for eight months, the verdict seems to send out a message that Egypt has become a land where freedom of speech is suppressed, and where journalists are violently prevented from carrying out their jobs, namely as evident from the increasing number of arrests. Following the uttering of the verdict, several countries including the US and the UK made public…


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