‘Marriott Cell’ case adjourned to April 22

The 'Marriott cell' trial at Cairo Criminal Court has been adjourned to April 22, leaving several defendants in detention. Among those in prison are Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, and five students.

The charges against the defendants include aiding a terrorist group and harming social security and national unity. Some of the defendants are not in the country, including three foreign journalists.

Sarah Mohamed, a friend of detained defendants Khaled Abdel Rahman, Shadi Abdel Hameed and Anas al-Beltagy, told Mada Masr that the three were not involved with Al Jazeera and were arrested by a police officer who disliked them. Mohamed added that the incriminating videos the court presented were shot in Africa and the defendants are too young to even have passports. 

Mohamed, who has been able to visit her friends only twice since their detention, says their families saw them last on January 24.

Beltagy's mother, Sanaa al-Beltagy, told Mada Masr that although her son had nothing to do with Al Jazeera, it is not a crime to work with the TV channel. She added that her husband — prominent Brotherhood leader Mohamed al-Beltagy — is also in jail, and that both her son and husband should be together.

“It's difficult having both of them in prison. Most of my week is spent between court sessions or trying to get a visit or waiting outside in the sun like we are now,” she said. 

Beltagy added that she doesn’t expect much from the court, as it is subject to political pressure, but they will continue the fight against what she described as an unjust military coup. 

Patrick Kingsley, Egypt correspondent for the Guardian, said on Twitter that at least one defendant was on a hunger strike for 15 days, and that defendant Khaled Mohamed Abdel Raouf fainted inside the cage. 

Kingsley confirmed that the court showed footage from Kenya and Somalia, in addition to pictures of Greste's hard drive. Defense lawyers claim that the Africa footage has nothing to do with the case. 

Fahmy's lawyer added that the prosecutors were not prepared. 

“They are wasting our time,” he said.

The case is known as the 'Marriott Cell' case because Greste, an Australian, and Fahmy, and Egyptian-Canadian, are accused renting two hotel rooms in Cairo’s Marriott Hotel to edit videos portraying unrest in Egypt as a civil war. The journalists, who were arrested at the hotel on December 29 last year, were working in the Marriott since the Al Jazeera office had been ransacked in the summer.

Fahmy is currently in a poor medical condition, and three of the students say security forces beat them during their arrest, two days after the Marriott arrest.

Amnesty International yesterday said that Egypt’s continued detention of the three Al Jazeera journalists is “vindictive” and that they are "prisoners of conscience."