Foreign press corps demands release of Al Jazeera colleagues

More than 40 editors and correspondents from over 30 international news organizations have called for the release of the imprisoned Al Jazeera English journalists, who have been detained since late December and may face terrorism charges.

In their statement, a group of correspondents and editors from international news organizations covering Egypt called for “the immediate release of our colleagues Peter Greste, Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, who have been arbitrarily imprisoned since December 29.”

“We are deeply concerned to learn that our colleagues, all three of whom are well respected journalists, may face charges that include belonging to a terrorist organization and spreading false news that could endanger national security,” the statement read.

Al Jazeera’s English-language bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy is of Egyptian origin but holds a Canadian passport, correspondent Peter Greste is Australian, while producer Baher Mohamed is Egyptian. They are being held in Tora prison.

Cameraman Mohamed Fawzy, who is Egyptian, was also arrested but later released, according to Al Jazeera.

On January 9, the three were sentenced to 15 more days in detention pending investigations into charges that they belong to the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, the defendants’ lawyers said.

Those who signed the statement include Christiane Amanpour, Ben Wedeman and Reza Sayah of CNN; Jeremy Bowen, Lyse Doucet and Andrew Roy of the BBC; Alastair Beach, a correspondent with The Independent; Peter Beaumont, The Observer’s foreign affairs editor; Ian Black, The Guardian’s Middle East editor, and the paper’s Cairo correspondent, Patrick Kingsley; Edith Chapin, NPR’s international editor, and Kristen Chick, a correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor.

“We also call for the release of other journalists who have been detained in Egypt, some of whom have been arbitrarily imprisoned for over five months,” the statement added.

It continued, “The arrest of these journalists has cast a cloud over press and media freedom in Egypt. We strongly believe that upholding the rights of journalists and permitting the free flow of information is vital to bringing about greater understanding and serves the best interests of all Egyptians and the world.”

Al Jazeera Media Network has said that the “allegations against the Cairo team are fabricated.”

It has also called for the release of Mohamed Badr, Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr cameraman, whose verdict was postponed from last Thursday until February 2 by the court. Abdullah Al Shami from Al Jazeera Arabic has also been detained for over five months.

Egypt’s Ministry of Interior released a statement identifying the defendants as “elements of the Muslim Brotherhood.” The National Security Apparatus claims to have evidence that the journalists used two hotel rooms to hold meetings with other Brotherhood members, and “broadcast news that harms national security as well as spread false information for Al Jazeera without the approval of relevant authorities,” the ministry claimed.

The prosecutor general’s office accused the journalists of terrorism by virtue of their association with the Brotherhood, and of harming Egypt’s image abroad through their reporting.

Fahmy’s brother told the French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) that prosecutors asked him to prove that he does not belong to the Brotherhood by collecting testimonies from well-known journalists he had previously worked with.

Fahmy’s Twitter account, which is now run by his family, urged his followers and friends to offer statements denying his affiliation with the group.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least three other journalists have been detained by Egyptian authorities for more than five months. These include Metin Turkan of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, Mahmoud Abdel Nabi of Rassd Online News, and freelance photographer Mahmoud Abou Zeid.

Among the many names from international news organizations who signed are Ayman Mohyeldin (NBC News), John Daniszewski (Associated Press), Max Rodenbeck (The Economist), Borzou Daragahi and Heba Saleh (The Financial Times), Richard Spencer (The Daily Telegraph), Bill Spindle (The Wall Street Journal), Nancy Youssef (McClatchy Newspapers), Vanessa Descouraux (Radio France), Sonia Dridi (France 24), Ricard Gonzalez (El Pais), Marion Guénard (Le Monde), Joseph Kahn (The New York Times), Ashraf Khalil (Time Magazine), Sharif Abdel Kouddous (Democracy Now!), Sarah Lynch (USA Today), and Nevine Mabro (Channel 4 News).

Others who signed were editors and correspondents from Radio Popolare, Libération, CBS News, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, The Washington Post, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Arte, NRC Handelsblad, Channel 4 News, Le Figaro and The Daily Telegraph.