Egypt court ruling in Al Jazeera journalists retrial on 30 July

Cairo: An Egyptian court said on Monday it will deliver its verdict on 30 July in the retrial of two Al-Jazeera journalists who were previously sentenced to up to 10 years in jail. Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and two other Al-Jazeera journalists were sentenced last year on charges of supporting the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood movement during their coverage of the turmoil following the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. [caption id=“attachment_2318140” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy (2-L) formerly with Al-Jazeera, and his defence team lawyers. AFP[/caption] An appeals court later ordered a retrial, saying the lower court’s verdict was not supported by evidence. One defendant, Australian Peter Greste, has already been deported under a law allowing the transfer of foreigners on trial to their home countries. Fahmy and his Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were freed on bail ahead of their retrial. In a session today, the court said it would issue its ruling on July 30 in the retrial. The three journalists were arrested in December 2013 during a crackdown on supporters of Morsi, who was ousted by then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after mass street protests against his sole year of divisive rule. Their initial trial came against the backdrop of strained ties between Egypt and Qatar, which supported Morsi’s government. The three were charged with spreading “false news” during their coverage of demonstrations, and authorities also accused them of working without valid accreditation. Fahmy, meanwhile, has sued his Qatari employer for $100 million, accusing the Doha-based Al-Jazeera of negligence and support for the blacklisted Islamists. AFP