Luxor4u

23 June 2014 Last updated at 10:24

Al-Jazeera trio get seven years jail

Three al-Jazeera journalists accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood have been jailed for seven years in Egypt.

A court in Cairo convicted Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed of spreading false news and supporting the banned Islamist group. The trio had denied the charges.

Nine defendants tried in absentia, including three foreign journalists, received 10-year sentences.

The trial has caused an international outcry amid claims it is politicised.

Earlier, the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott made a direct appeal to Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi for the release of Mr Greste, a former BBC correspondent.

The three al-Jazeera journalists, who have been detained in Egypt for the past six months, were each sentenced to seven years in jail.

Mr Mohamed sentenced to a further three years in jail on a separate charge involving possession of weapons.

Growing media restrictions
Al-Jazeera has said only nine of the 20 defendants are its employees.

The others are reportedly students and activists, two of whom were acquitted in Monday's verdict.

It comes amid concerns over growing media restrictions in Egypt.

Mr Fahmy and Mr Mohamed were among 16 Egyptians charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation and "harming national unity".

Mr Greste and three other journalists who have left the country - British al-Jazeera reporters Dominic Kane and Sue Turton, and the Dutch newspaper and radio journalist Rena Netjes - were accused of "collaborating with the Egyptians by providing them with money, equipment, information", and "airing false news".

The Qatar-based network al-Jazeera is banned from operating inside Egypt after the authorities accused it of broadcasting reports sympathetic to former President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Jazeera has consistently denied the allegations.

Qatar has supported the Brotherhood and is unpopular with Egypt's government.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27972181

If you work on a farm, you couldn't help but get yourself caked in the brown stuff. A sensible person would have chosen a more safer, cleaner form of employment. IMO.

Dusak wrote:If you work on a farm, you couldn't help but get yourself caked in the brown stuff. A sensible person would have chosen a more safer, cleaner form of employment. IMO.

I know when in the past, I have made a comment on here, late at night and after quite a few drinks, the next day I have probably regretted this. However having checked the time of this post and the fact that it is not one of the Dr's usual 'off the cuff' comments, I must say I am amazed and astonished that any one could write the above statement, whether some one lives in Luxor or not.

We should all be greatful for the work carried out by the worlds journalists, for we would learn little or nothing otherwise. In San Francisco they say 'if it don't happen in the Bay, then it don't happen', and they honestly believe this. They live in a very safe caccoon, which is fine for them, though others are less fortunate and safe from their 'masters', and although the naive may think they are safe in their 'bubble', I can prove to YOU all, they are not, one only has to read this forum today to realise that.

What has happened in the Cairo courts is an outrage, and the leaders of the FREE and DEMOCRATIC world will voice this today, and the journalistic world will ensure that those who live in the 'Luxor bubble', will hear this loud and clear,....................or you could go and bury your heads in the sand.

A-Four says...."What has happened in the Cairo courts is an outrage"

Really? Based on what you've read in the press & seen on TV I suppose. I'm naturally cynical of the media and particularly so of Al Jazeera's take on Egypt. Like many others living in Egypt I sat through their coverage of last year's events. Impartial it certainly was not. No-one could seriously question what their agenda was. "Only doing their job" ?? Pull the other one!

Whether that translated into deliberate manipulation or falsification of the coverage of events I couldn't say. I wasn't in court. Al Jazeera are adamant that they didn't. Well....they would say that, wouldn't they?

Frankly, and after last year's experience, I take anything Al Jazeera has to say in connection with Egypt, or indeed anything at all, with a very large pinch of salt. Their post-verdict diatribe is reaching new heights of 'manipulation' as I type this. I caught "...called obscene and condemned by the United Nations...". I paused to listen carefully. Ahaa....condemned by the human rights guy at the UN. Not quite the same then. This is classic Al Jazeera..... along with "trumped up charges"...."falsely accused"....blah, blah...

So, I will be waiting for the judicial reasoning and further clarification of the evidence etc. before joining the condemnation bandwagon

The trial of Peter Greste has been monitored in Australia since his arrest. Australian media is reporting that no evidence was presented to the courts by the prosecution. In court every day were Australian Consulate representatives and his family and their reports are all similar to the point that no evidence was presented to the courts. Back to the dark days of Egypt - nothing has changed despite Egyptians telling us that it has.

A-Four wrote:

Dusak wrote:If you work on a farm, you couldn't help but get yourself caked in the brown stuff. A sensible person would have chosen a more safer, cleaner form of employment. IMO.

I know when in the past, I have made a comment on here, late at night and after quite a few drinks, the next day I have probably regretted this. However having checked the time of this post and the fact that it is not one of the Dr's usual 'off the cuff' comments, I must say I am amazed and astonished that any one could write the above statement, whether some one lives in Luxor or not.

We should all be greatful for the work carried out by the worlds journalists, for we would learn little or nothing otherwise. In San Francisco they say 'if it don't happen in the Bay, then it don't happen', and they honestly believe this. They live in a very safe caccoon, which is fine for them, though others are less fortunate and safe from their 'masters', and although the naive may think they are safe in their 'bubble', I can prove to YOU all, they are not, one only has to read this forum today to realise that.

What has happened in the Cairo courts is an outrage, and the leaders of the FREE and DEMOCRATIC world will voice this today, and the journalistic world will ensure that those who live in the 'Luxor bubble', will hear this loud and clear,....................or you could go and bury your heads in the sand.

You failed to miss my hidden point A-Four, that being- If A owns B then XYZ would of been better off staying away from C, knowing what C thought of A.

Isis*dancer wrote:The trial of Peter Greste has been monitored in Australia since his arrest. Australian media is reporting that no evidence was presented to the courts by the prosecution. In court every day were Australian Consulate representatives and his family and their reports are all similar to the point that no evidence was presented to the courts. Back to the dark days of Egypt - nothing has changed despite Egyptians telling us that it has.

If "no evidence was presented to the courts by the prosecution" you have to wonder how they whiled away those long hours over the last 6 months.

Or maybe they mean "no evidence was presented which satisfied US".

No doubt if Al Jazeera & the rest of the journalistic establishment had been wearing the judges robes the outcome would have been different.....but that's not how it works

Isis*dancer wrote:The trial of Peter Greste has been monitored in Australia since his arrest. Australian media is reporting that no evidence was presented to the courts by the prosecution. In court every day were Australian Consulate representatives and his family and their reports are all similar to the point that no evidence was presented to the courts. Back to the dark days of Egypt - nothing has changed despite Egyptians telling us that it has.

Something has changed Isis Dancer. Its got worse. This verdict has damaged Egypts reputation (such as it was) far more than anything AJ journalists could have done.

Stevepj wrote:

Isis*dancer wrote:The trial of Peter Greste has been monitored in Australia since his arrest. Australian media is reporting that no evidence was presented to the courts by the prosecution. In court every day were Australian Consulate representatives and his family and their reports are all similar to the point that no evidence was presented to the courts. Back to the dark days of Egypt - nothing has changed despite Egyptians telling us that it has.

Something has changed Isis Dancer. Its got worse. This verdict has damaged Egypts reputation (such as it was) far more than anything AJ journalists could have done.

"Damaged Egypt's reputation"....in the eyes of ....? Ah yes....the former slave-trading, colonial-imperialistic, constantly-meddling-in-the-affairs-of-others-for-their-own-benefit West. A cross Egypt will bear with equanimity I fancy.

newcastle wrote:

Stevepj wrote:

Isis*dancer wrote:The trial of Peter Greste has been monitored in Australia since his arrest. Australian media is reporting that no evidence was presented to the courts by the prosecution. In court every day were Australian Consulate representatives and his family and their reports are all similar to the point that no evidence was presented to the courts. Back to the dark days of Egypt - nothing has changed despite Egyptians telling us that it has.

Something has changed Isis Dancer. Its got worse. This verdict has damaged Egypts reputation (such as it was) far more than anything AJ journalists could have done.

"Damaged Egypt's reputation"....in the eyes of ....? Ah yes....the former slave-trading, colonial-imperialistic, constantly-meddling-in-the-affairs-of-others-for-their-own-benefit West. A cross Egypt will bear with equanimity I fancy.

Hit a nerve there have I Newcastle.? You maybe unaware of this but there was a massive Arab Slave trade centuries before the Europeans got involved. One academic has estimated that twice the number of sub Saharan Africans were taken east and north into the Muslim/Arab world than taken across the Atlantic by all the European powers. The Ottoman Empire and the Crimea Khanate are described as slave states in the Encyclopedia Brittanica. It's also been estimated that one and a quarter million Europeans (including Britons) were taken as slaves by North African pirates. When the Saudi king attended Elizabeth II coronation he brought his black slave with him.
So there's been no imperialist projects by Arab/Turkish world? So when I've read about the Ummayad, Abbasid Caliphates and Ottoman Sultanate (all of whom have had a go at conquering Rum, Europe) it all been a figment of my imagination. I can only think they haven't tried it for centuries because they've been too ****** up and backward to do so.

"Hit a nerve" Stevepj? Not at all mate. Entirely agree with your historical snippet.

My point was a little laboured perhaps. More succinctly : Egypt won't give a toss about it's "reputation" in the West as, to a man, they consider the West a bunch of hypocrites and have no interest in their opinions.

Now if the West were to slap massive embargoes on Egypt, withdraw ambassadors etc. etc. THAT might work. Except it wouldn't be in their interests...so they won't. Squeals of outrage is all they'll muster.