Mohamed Fahmy, the Egyptian-born Canadian journalist held for a year in a Cairo prison, has been ordered released on bail of $41,000 while his retrial continues.
The decision was made about an hour after the start of the retrial of Fahmy and co-accused Egyptian cameraman Baher Mohammed, who was also released on bail.
Mohamed Fahmy's fiancée, Marwa Omara, is in Cairo for the retrial, and cheered after the journalist was granted bail. (CBC)
The two have been in prison for more than a year on terror-related charges.
Fahmy, Australian Peter Greste and Mohammed were arrested while working for satellite news broadcaster Al-Jazeera English in December 2013. Greste was released Feb. 1 and has returned home.
Fahmy's fiancée, Marwa Omara, who is in Cairo for the retrial, cheered after he was granted bail, saying: "Long live justice."
The trial is scheduled to resume on Feb. 23.
Al-Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy raises an Egyptian flag during his retrial at a court in Cairo Thursday. (Asmaa Waguih/Reuters)
Fahmy's release is a rare event, CBC's Sasa Petricic reported from Cairo.
"This is incredibly unusual, because in terrorism cases — which is what his is — bail is almost unheard of in Egypt," he said.
There was surprise and joy among Fahmy's supporters and family in the court.
The release also raises speculation that it may be the beginning of the end for the prosecution.
The judge "is certainly sending signals that this case is probably winding down," Petricic said. "However … the trial is going ahead, [Fahmy] is still charged, and he is still facing a lengthy jail sentence potentially."
It wasn't immediately clear whether the terms of Fahmy's bail allow him to leave the country.
Lynne Yelich, Canada's minister of state for foreign affairs, issued a statement welcoming Fahmy's release on bail, but called for a full release.
"The prospect of Mr. Fahmy standing retrial is unacceptable, and Canada advocates for the same treatment of Mr. Fahmy as other foreign nationals," she said.
Al-Jazeera welcomed the granting of bail, saying in a statement: "Bail is a small step in the right direction, and allows Baher and Mohamed to spend time with their families after 411 days apart."
Still, the news organization cautioned that the focus should remain on "dismissing this absurd case" and releasing the journalists unconditionally.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Mohamed Fahmy to be released on bail in Cairo during retrial
Dengan url
http://politikduniabarat.blogspot.com/2015/02/mohamed-fahmy-to-be-released-on-bail-in.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Mohamed Fahmy to be released on bail in Cairo during retrial
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Mohamed Fahmy to be released on bail in Cairo during retrial
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar