Cairo court adjourns AJE staff trial hearing

June 25 hearing to be the eighth in much-delayed retrial of journalists Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy.

Trial of Al Jazeera journalists continues
Al Jazeera has rejected the court's charges, saying its staff were just doing their jobs [EPA]

The retrial of two Al Jazeera journalists has been adjourned by a Cairo court for more closing statements by the defence team.

Thursday’s hearing was to be the seventh in the much-delayed retrial in Egypt of Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy. The next hearing date has been fixed for June 25.

The seven sessions, including the one of June 11, have been all adjourned.

The journalists are charged with aiding a terrorist organisation, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in Egypt after the army overthrew President Mohamed Morsi amid mass protests against his rule in 2013.

Interview: Peter Greste on AJ retrial

The journalists and Al Jazeera have vigorously denied the accusations, saying they were just doing their jobs.

The journalists’ imprisonment reinforced the view of human rights groups that the government was rolling back freedoms gained after the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Fahmy, a naturalised Canadian who gave up his Egyptian citizenship, and Egyptian Baher Mohamed were released on bail in February after spending more than a year in custody.

A third Al Jazeera journalist, Australian Peter Greste, was deported in February.

The journalists were originally sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison. Egypt’s high court ordered the retrial in January.

Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies