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Three Al Jazeera Journalists Convicted, Sentenced to Prison

Jun 23, 2014  •  Post A Comment

In a decision that has outraged journalists and activists, three journalists for Al Jazeera were convicted today, Monday, in Egypt of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, CNN reports.

Al Jazeera English journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed have been jailed in Cairo since late last year on charges of conspiring with the group, endangering national security and spreading false news. The journalists and Al Jazeera have denied the charges.

Greste and Fahmy were each sentenced to seven years in prison, while Mohamed was given 10 years.

“I don't think it has anything to do with justice," said Al Jazeera acting director general Mostefa Souag. He said the verdict is a continuation of Egypt's "campaign of terrorizing people and terrorizing the media."

The article reports: “Amnesty International has asserted that Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed are pawns in a geopolitical dispute between Egypt and Qatar, the tiny Middle Eastern country that finances Al Jazeera. Qatar has long been perceived as a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious and political group banned in Egypt and labeled a terrorist organization after President Mohamed Morsy's ouster last year.”

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