CAIRO: Al Jazeera journalists accused of backing Egypt’s blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood are to go on trial on February 20, judicial sources said yesterday.
Since president Mohamed Mursi was ousted by the military in July, Egypt’s interim government has been incensed by Al Jazeera television’s coverage of a deadly crackdown against the Brotherhood to which the deposed Islamist belongs.
On January 30, prosecutors referred to trial 20 people they said worked as journalists for Al Jazeera, accusing them of portraying Egypt in a state of “civil war” and “airing false news”.
The network said last week that only “nine network staff are on the list of 20, meaning most of those named are not employees of Al Jazeera.”
Those on trial are 16 Egyptians and four foreigners — including Australian Peter Greste, Britons Sue Turton and Dominic Kane, and Dutch journalist Rena Netjes.
Of the 20, only eight are in detention — including Greste and Al Jazeera English’s Cairo bureau chief, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Adel Fahmy. The others are being sought.
The 16 Egyptians have been charged with belonging to a “terrorist organisation... and harming national unity and social peace”.
AFP
