Bail denied, journalists asked to leave in ongoing Al Jazeera trial

The Cairo Criminal Court adjourned the Al Jazeera trial to May 3, denying another request for bail on Tuesday. The defendants include Egyptian-Canadian chief of Al Jazeera English Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, and his colleagues ​Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, as well as five students.

In Tuesday’s session the court reviewed evidence presented by the prosecution, including videos of interviews conducted by the journalists with subjects linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, including the group’s leader Essam al-Erian and spokesperson for Students Against the Coup movement Youssef Salhen.

Other videos included footage of Fahmy covering protests in Tahrir Square, which the defendant alleged were from 2011, and an Al Jazeera feature about lamb farming.

Halfway through the court session, the judge ordered the journalists present to leave and they were escorted out by police.

Patrick Kingsley, Egypt correspondent for the Guardian, posted on his Twitter account that “the rest of us journalists have been kicked out. This is the transparent trial everyone has spoken of.”

Shortly after, a few journalists who lingered outside the courtroom were allowed back in, according to Kingsley. 

The judge also asked Fahmy to step inside his chambers for a few minutes.

The case involves 20 defendants, only nine of whom work for Al Jazeera, according to the network. The defendants, dubbed by Egyptian authorities as members of the so-called "Marriott Cell," are being tried on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization and working without accreditation, alongside other accusations.

Fahmy, Baher and Greste were arrested last December when security forces raided their room at the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek.