Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Jailed journalists: diplomacy vs condemnation



Vigils take place around the world to protest against the jailing of Al Jazeera staff in Egypt.

Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste were jailed for between seven and 10 years on Monday for what the Egyptian government described as spreading false news and aiding a terrorist organisation.

Global demonstrations were held on Tuesday, 24 hours after the sentences were handed down. Al Jazeera is calling for the verdicts to be overturned and the journalists to be released.

But giving a televised address, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi distanced himself from the judicial process. He said: "We will not interfere in judicial matters because the Egyptian judiciary is an independent and exalted judiciary, no one interferes with the affairs of state institutions, no one comments or talks about state institutions.”

Peter Greste is an award-winning Australian journalist, and the country’s prime minister has been quick to sound a note of caution.

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