NEWS

Journalists staged a protest in London on Tuesday (June 24) outside the BBC’s broadcasting centre to show their support for three Al Jazeera journalists jailed in Egypt.

 

Australian Peter Greste and Canadian-Egyptian national Mohamed Fahmy, Cairo bureau chief of Al Jazeera English were both sentenced to seven years in prison on Monday (June 23), while a third defendant, Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed, was given an extra three years for possessing a single bullet.

 

Cairo has defended the journalists’ convictions – for aiding a “terrorist organisation” – and rejected the widespread condemnation as “interference in its internal affairs”.

 

The BBC’s News Director, James Harding, said the aim of the London journalists’ silent protest was to show solidarity with their imprisoned colleagues and also to defend “the principle of journalistic freedom”.

 

He also said other London-based news organisations were sending a joint letter to the Egyptian president to ask him to intervene in the case.

 

“We’ve drafted a letter that we’re sending to president al-Sisi, it’s been signed by a host of news organisations, from NBC, to Sky, to ITN and we’re going to be sending that as well, which makes a more detailed case,” said Harding.

 

Western governments and rights groups have voiced concern over freedom of expression in Egyptsince Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was ousted last July.

 

The crackdown has reinforced doubts about Egypt’s democratic credentials three years after an uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak and raised hopes of greater freedoms.