Amal Clooney warns Egypt that sentencing of Al Jazeera journalists sends a 'dangerous message'

Home Top

Amal Clooney comforts the wife of Canadian journalist as he and two other reporters are sentenced to three years in jail in Egypt
Was female doctor murdered by her husband's bitter childhood friend? Chilling arrest of old classmate in 'hitman' hammer attack which killed married mom-of-two
New Orleans remembers its darkest day: Services held to mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
Tropical Storm Erika dissipates leaving 20 people dead and 31 missing in Caribbean as Florida is told to brace for heavy rain
'Cold blooded and cowardly': Father-of-two cop shot dead at random by gunman who ambushed him from behind while he was filling up his patrol car at a gas station
Innocent bystander, 61, killed by the NYPD after officer accidentally shot him in bungled attempt to catch a gun dealer
'We're too young to die': Two women, 56 and 57, who were stranded in the California wilderness for five days survived by drinking their urine and sucking on grass
University of Tennessee tells staff and students to stop using 'he' and 'she' - and switch to 'xe', 'zir' and 'xyr' instead
Outrage as man who was held in Virginia jail for 4 months without bail after stealing just $5 worth of snacks from a 7-Eleven is found 'starved to death' in his cell
Dawn patrols and downtime in America's ugliest war: One veteran's forgotten photos of Vietnam unveiled after 47 years, showing troops unaware of protests at home - and the many who never made it back
TV host Tila Tequila kicked off Big Brother UK after praising Hitler on Facebook and posting a picture wearing Nazi gear in front of Auschwitz
South Carolina teen who was reported missing by her parents is charged with LYING after telling officers she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted
Singing New York construction worker who found fame as 'Second Avenue Sinatra' found dead in apparent suicide
TSA agent accused of sexually molesting college student who claims he demanded she go into a bathroom to be searched
Husband kills himself in front of his wife and children after taking them hostage in barricaded home and preparing for gun battle with cops called to the address
Django Unchained star who accused LAPD of racism is sentenced to community service after judge rejects TWO apology notes for being 'insincere'
Baltimore attorneys reviewing 2,000 cases where police secretly used covert cell phone tracking devices to catch petty criminals
2,000 years of history wiped off the face of the Earth: Satellite images prove ISIS extremists have flattened ancient Syrian temple in Palmyra
EXCLUSIVE: 'Everything's fine,' says Rosie O'Donnell's adopted daughter as she starts new life after 18th birthday with her birth mom, who says: 'She is NOT mentally ill'
'I saw sparks... this coward shot him point blank': Co-worker reveals how he watched TV crew shootings in horror from the editing suite and how he scrambled to hide the images from the dead cameraman's fiancee
He slammed his fist so loud we thought it was a bomb: Ex-boss of TV crew killer reveals gunman's history of violent outbursts at the station
Self-obsession. Delusions of racism and homophobia. Sick revenge fantasies fuelled by Hollywood. And - inevitably - he filmed it all to post online. This was A MURDERER FOR OUR TIMES
Nazi gold train could contain famed $380m 'Amber Room' given to Tsar Peter the Great by the King of Prussia which was looted during WWII and has been missing since
Why a late-night feast won't spare you a hangover: The only way to avoid feeling ill the morning after is to avoid drinking too much, researchers say

The trial saw Al-Jazeera journalists sentenced to three-years
Australian journalist Peter Greste was tried in absentia
Amal Clooney was the Defence lawyer for Canadian Mohammed Fahmy
Egyptian Baher Mohamed was also sentenced, with extra six-months
The three journalists were detained in December 2013 in Egypt
The verdict comes after long-running worldwide criticism
The sentencing was handed down on Saturday in a court in Cairo

By Associated Press and Aap and Rachel Eddie For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 03:34 EST, 29 August 2015 | Updated: 12:11 EST, 29 August 2015

353

View
comments

Amal Clooney has warned that the three-year sentence handed down to Al-Jazeera journalists 'sends a very dangerous message'.

The human rights lawyer and wife of actor George Clooney attended the courtroom in Tora prison in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday as the Defence lawyer for Canadian journalist Mohammed Fahmy.

Mr Fahmy was on trial alongside Australian Peter Greste and Egyptian Baher Mohamed in retrial on charges of allegedly airing falsified footage intended to damage national security and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

'We're obviously very disappointed about the verdict today,' Ms Clooney told reporters immediately after the verdict.

Scroll down for video

Amal Clooney, human rights lawyer and wife of actor George Clooney, attended the Egyptian District Court on Saturday as the Defence lawyer for Mohammed Fahmy, the Canadian journalist on trial alongside Australian Peter Greste and Egyptian Baher Mohamed

Mr Fahmy's wife, Marwa Fahmy, bursts into tears after the verdict is handed down in a courtroom in Tora prison in Cairo, Egypt

Ms Fahmy cried on Ms Clooney's shoulder at the sentencing on Saturday, August 29

Australian journalist Peter Greste has been sentenced to three-years in prison in a retrial in Egypt, two Al-Jazeera English colleagues - Mohammed Fahmy from Canada, and Baher Mohamed from Egypt - were handed the same verdict

'Everyone has said there is no evidence to sustain any of the charges.

'Egypt's own Supreme Court, when they looked at this case they said there wasn't sufficient evidence.

Ms Clooney said that the verdict, 'sends a message that journalists can be locked up for simply doing their job, for telling the truth and reporting the news.

'And it sends a dangerous message that there are judges in Egypt who will allow their courts to become instruments of political repression and propaganda.'

Ms Clooney added that the only 'genuinely fair' result in court would have been the full acquittal on all charges.

Australian Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy from Canada, and Baher Mohamed from Egypt were handed the verdict on Saturday after they were detained in December 2013.

Mr Greste was tried in absentia, and will reportedly avoid prison, according to the ABC.

The Australian journalist hit back at the verdict of the retrial, who was watching online from Sydney.

Mr Fahmy, Ms Clooney and Canadian ambassador to Egypt, Troy Lulashnyk, are surrounded by the media following the verdict

She said the only 'genuinely fair' result would have been the full acquittal of all charges

Ms Clooney said that the verdict, 'sends a message that journalists can be locked up for simply doing their job, for telling the truth and reporting the news'

Mr Greste and Mr Baher in Cairo's Tora prison in 2014. The journalists were eventually released on bail following worldwide criticism

Mr Greste was deported to Australia following worldwide criticism from press freedom advocates and human rights activists

'Shocked. Outraged. Angry. Upset,' the Australian journalist wrote on Twitter, adding that the three-year sentence 'is so wrong'.

'We did nothing wrong. The prosecution presented no evidence that we did anything wrong and so for us to be convicted as terrorists on no evidence at all is frankly outrageous," he said on Saturday evening.

'We need also to call on international pressure, on governments and diplomats around the world, to make it clear to Egypt that it cannot make these kinds of judgements,' according to the ABC.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a statement that she was 'dismayed' by the 'distressing' verdict.

'I will continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues with my Egyptian counterpart to clear his name,' Ms Bishop said.

Al-Jazeera's Acting Director General, Dr Mostefa Souag, said in a statement that: 'Today's verdict defies logic and common sense'.

'Today's verdict is yet another deliberate attack on press freedom.'

'Journalism is not a crime,' the Al-Jazeera statement finished.

Ms Clooney addressed the media following the sentencing, and said: 'Everyone has said there is no evidence to sustain any of the charges'

'We're obviously very disappointed about the verdict today,' Ms Clooney told reporters immediately following the verdict

Mr Greste hit back at the verdict, and said that the three-year sentence 'is so wrong'

Canadian Al-Jazeera English journalist Mohammed Fahmy (left) and Egyptian colleague Baher Mohamed (right) listen in a courtroom in Tora prison in Cairo, Egypt

Mr Greste was tried in absentia, and watched the verdict online from Sydney. He is pictured speaking to the media on a happier occasion, after arriving back in Australia

Prior to the verdict, Greste had said he was 'staying hopeful', and thanked supporters who had stuck by him throughout the ordeal.

'Hoping today's results will be fair and objective! We did nothing wrong and should be acquitted!' Mr Greste wrote on Twitter.

Judge Hassan Farid, who handed down the sentence, said he did so because the journalists allegedly weren't registered with the country's journalist syndicate, according to Yahoo.

The three journalists had been working for Al-Jazeera English and were originally sentenced to seven-years in prison before Egypt's highest court ordered a retrial on charges of them allegedly airing falsified footage intended to damage national security and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

After a long-running trial criticised worldwide by press freedom and human rights activists, Mr Greste was deported from Egypt in February.

Mr Fahmy and Mr Mohamed were later released on bail.

Mr Mohamed had originally received the larger sentence of 10 years, but received an extra six months on the retrial's verdict for possessing a single bullet, according to the ABC.

Ms Clooney greeted her client, Canadian Al-Jazeera journalist Mr Fahmy cheerfully prior to the sentencing on Saturday

Ms Clooney attended the trial in a Cairo court in Tora prison as the Defence Lawyer for Mr Fahmy

Before the verdict was handed down on Saturday night, Mr Greste wrote on Twitter: 'Hoping today's results will be fair and objective! We did nothing wrong and should be acquitted!'