Al Jazeera demands Egypt free detained staff

Al Jazeera’s Cairo team has been detained by Egyptian authorities since December 29 without charge.

Three of Al Jazeera’s journalists were detained in Egypt on December 29 and have remained in custody since, accused of spreading lies harmful to state security and joining a terrorist organisation.

Producers Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, and correspondent Peter Greste, were remanded to 15 more days in custody on January 8, according to the prosecutor.

They were initially arrested along with cameraman Mohamed Fawzy, who was later released.

Al Jazeera denies the accusations against its team and has expressed outrage at the continued detention of its journalists without charge.

“We condemn the allegations directed at our staff by Egyptian authorities which are aiming to stigmatise us, and further incite violence against our journalists working on the ground. This is all part of a larger antagonistic campaign against us,” Ghassan Abu Hussein, Al Jazeera Media Network official spokesperson, said.

The broadcaster is becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of its staff members as their imprisonment continues.

The network is demanding the freedom of all its staff locked up in Egypt, including another two from our sister station, Al Jazeera Arabic.

Source: Al Jazeera