Doha: Journalists and friends around the world will express solidarity with Aljazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, marking one year of their arrest in Cairo on December 29.
Newsrooms across the world will stop work at 1200 Egypt-time to reflect on the year’s events.
Aljazeera English will start its coverage of the tragic milestone by examining changes this year in press freedom around the world on December 28.
On December 29, it will take a look at events of the last 365 days in Egypt, from the arrest of Peter, Baher and Mohamed to their conviction and the lengthy wait for the next legal development.
On January 1, Egypt’s Court of Cassation will rule on whether a full appeal can be heard. It will also look at the process behind the original trial, a process observers have said was flawed, and which has caused global outrage.
Calls for the release of Aljazeera staff have been made by the White House, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the European Union, the Australian Government and over 150 rights groups, including Amnesty International, Committee to Protect Journalists and International Press Institute.
Over 200,000 people have signed petitions globally, including two by 150,000 presented to the Egyptian Vice Counsel in Sydney by Australia’s journalists.
Public calls of support for the release of the journalists have occurred throughout the social media campaign #FreeAJStaff, with over 137,000 people expressing support on Twitter, reaching 112 million, and delivering over two billion impressions.
Anyone can express solidarity on the anniversary and throughout the court proceedings by using the hashtag #FreeAJStaff
The Peninsula
