29-03-2024 04:23 PM Jerusalem Timing

Egypt Releases al-Jazeera Reporters on Bail

Egypt Releases al-Jazeera Reporters on Bail

An Egyptian court on Thursday ordered the release of two Al-Jazeera journalists pending their retrial for allegedly supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt: Al-Jazeera journalist Mohammad Fahmy An Egyptian court on Thursday ordered the release of two Al-Jazeera journalists pending their retrial for allegedly supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Canadian Mohammad Fahmy was ordered to pay bail of 250,000 Egyptian pounds ($33,000) while Egyptian Baher Mohammad was released along with other defendants.

The case was adjourned until February 23.

"I AM FREE," read a message on Mohammad's Twitter account following the release order, which came during the first hearing in the retrial.

Along with Australian colleague Peter Greste, the two journalists had been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in a case that sparked global outrage.

An appeals court ordered a retrial saying the prosecution had failed to prove its case.

Greste was freed and sent home earlier this month under a law passed last year allowing foreigners to be deported to their home countries to stand trial or serve out their sentences.

The three journalists of Qatar-based Al-Jazeera were arrested in December 2013 and charged with spreading false news about Egypt and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

The charges came against the backdrop of strained ties between Egypt and Qatar, which supported ousted president Mohammad Mursi.

Al-Jazeera network is also known for its support to the armed mercenaries operating in Syria against the national government and have been battling the Syrian army since mid-March 2011.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the western media reports accuse administrations of the USA, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar (to which Al-Jazeera belongs) of orchestrating the civil conflict in the country and providing terrorist groups with money, weapons and trained mercenaries.