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cali

(114,904 posts)
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 12:02 PM Jun 2014

Obama Administration silent on Egyptian Court sentencing foreign journalists to years in prison

C'mon. There should have been immediate condemnation of this travesty by the administration. But no, we're sending the strongman Apache missiles instead. The UK government blasted Egypt for this.

A lack of courage and a big moral lapse not to speak out strongly immediately.


<snip>

Two of the journalists were sentenced to seven years in prison, and the third was given 10 years, the three additional years apparently for his possession of a single spent bullet. The case has drawn condemnation from international rights groups and Western governments because there was no publicly available evidence that the journalists had either supported the Brotherhood or broadcast anything inaccurate.

In a potentially embarrassing turn for the Obama administration, the verdict came a day after Secretary of State John Kerry visited Cairo in a show of renewed partnership with the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the former general who led the military takeover here last summer. Declaring that the Egyptian president “gave me a very strong sense of his commitment” to “a re-evaluation of human rights legislation” and “a re-evaluation of the judicial process,” Mr. Kerry expressed confidence that Washington would quickly resume the $1.3 billion a year in military aid to Egypt that the administration had partially suspended after the takeover.

The three journalists convicted on Monday are respected professionals who were reporting for Al Jazeera’s English-language network at the time of their arrest and who had previously worked for established international news organizations. Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian citizen of Egyptian descent, previously worked for CNN and The New York Times; Peter Greste, an Australian, previously worked for the BBC and had spent only a few days in Egypt at the time of his arrest; and Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian, previously worked for the Japanese news organization The Asahi Shimbun.

<snip>

Rights advocates have described the charges as farcical. Mr. Mohamed received the additional three years for possession of a weapon; Al Jazeera said that referred to a spent bullet that Mr. Mohamed had recovered as a souvenir at a protest. Mr. Greste is not a Muslim and had spent little time in the Arab world before his arrest. Mr. Fahmy, who said in court that he was a “liberal” who drinks alcohol, personally participated in a march calling for the resignation of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood last June and then another demonstration to show support for the new military-backed government.

When asked by the court to screen the allegedly false news reports obtained from the defendants’ laptops, prosecutors showed images that included Mr. Greste’s family vacation, horses grazing in a pasture in Luxor, Egypt, and a news conference by the Kenyan police that Mr. Greste had covered in Nairobi

<snip>
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/24/world/middleeast/egyptian-court-convicts-3-al-jazeera-journalists.html

8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Obama Administration silent on Egyptian Court sentencing foreign journalists to years in prison (Original Post) cali Jun 2014 OP
it certainly has appeared that G_j Jun 2014 #1
America locks up alot of people for stupid reasons too. JaneyVee Jun 2014 #2
Once again a complete over-reaction OKNancy Jun 2014 #3
How is this the US's problem? giftedgirl77 Jun 2014 #4
oops OKNancy Jun 2014 #5
I did a search on Google and didn't find it, but even so, it's not nearly enough cali Jun 2014 #8
Uh Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jun 2014 #6
I believe that the administration issued a statement of condemnation to the Egyptian government via Skidmore Jun 2014 #7

G_j

(40,366 posts)
1. it certainly has appeared that
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 12:08 PM
Jun 2014

this admin. has not not been fond of journalists. They don't support them here either.

OKNancy

(41,832 posts)
3. Once again a complete over-reaction
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 12:20 PM
Jun 2014

First, they were convicted and sentenced today... just a few hours ago. I'm sure that there will be words of condemnation the same AS THEY HAVE DONE IN THE PAST.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/02/white-house-urges-release-al-jazeera-staff-201424224715522704.html

US urges Egypt to free Al Jazeera staff
US government condemns detention of journalists in Egypt, saying they should be protected and permitted to do their job.
------------

The US White House has condemned the detention of Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt and called for their release.

On Tuesday, it was 38 days since Egyptian authorities detained Mohammed Fahmy, Baher Mohammed and Peter Greste at their hotel in Cairo.

Their Al Jazeera Arabic colleague Abdullah Al Shami is still in Egyptian custody. Mohammed Badr, Al Jazeera Arabic cameraman, has been acquitted of all charges and was released overnight.

The three Al Jazeera English journalists have been held without charge in prison in Cairo. They are accused of spreading false news and having links to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt classified as a terrorist organisation.

The government in Cairo said their cases have been referred to the criminal court. However Al Jazeera has not been notified of any formal charges.

The White House said that it is deeply concerned about the recent crackdown by the Egyptian government on journalists and academics.

"These figures, regardless of affiliation, should be protected and permitted to do their jobs freely in Egypt," White House spokesman Jay Carney told Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane at a White House briefing.

"We have strongly urged the government to drop these charges and release those journalists and academics who have been detained," he said.



 

giftedgirl77

(4,713 posts)
4. How is this the US's problem?
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 12:22 PM
Jun 2014

The journalists are Canadian, British & Australian it should be their counties handling this not us.

 

cali

(114,904 posts)
8. I did a search on Google and didn't find it, but even so, it's not nearly enough
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 12:45 PM
Jun 2014

how about withdrawing the promise to restore aid? How about NOT sending Apache missiles.

Al-Sisi is disappearing protesters- and many of them are liberals. They are being tortured and held without charges. Kerry has to know this if I do.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/19/egypt-s-black-site-torture-camps.

Instead we get Kerry voicing "strong support"

http://online.wsj.com/articles/john-kerry-arrives-in-egypt-on-unannounced-visit-1403426551

The administration's strong support for this beastly fuck makes a mockery of all their words about human rights.

Skidmore

(37,364 posts)
7. I believe that the administration issued a statement of condemnation to the Egyptian government via
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 12:42 PM
Jun 2014

a phone call from Sec. State John Kerry. Just heard this reported on MSNBC a few minutes ago. There is quite possibly a reason for using this channel that is not immediately evident. Pecking order is important sometimes.

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