Egyptian prosecution accused of making outrageous financial demands to give defence team access to evidence The trial of the Australian journalist Peter Greste and two of his al-Jazeera colleagues has again descended into farce, as defence lawyers of two of the men quit in court, accusing the broadcaster of putting its vendetta against Egypt ahead of the freedom of its employees. The Egyptian prosecution...
Abdullah Elshamy is being held in Egypt for allegedly joining a terrorist group and may soon be comatose, says brother An al-Jazeera journalist held in Egypt since August is in critical health and could slip into a coma after more than 100 days on hunger strike, his brother said on Tuesday. Abdullah Elshamy was arrested on 14 August when police dispersed supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsi...
Jailed Al-Jazeera journalist Abdullah el-Shamy, who has been on hunger strike in Egypt for more than 100 days, is near to death according to his doctor. "He has started to have impaired liver and kidney function," said the doctor, Mohamed Osama el-Homsi. "It means that his organs are in danger." Continue reading... ...
Egyptian Ahmed Ghanem is detained in Tripoli where he is monitoring trial of two of Muammar Gaddafi's sons A United Nations observer at the trial of two of Muammar Gaddafi's sons in Libya has been detained on suspicion of "black magic". Ahmed Ghanem, one of a three-strong UN team monitoring the case, was detained by security units on suspicion of occult practices. Continue reading... ...
Widespread international outcry at jailing of Australian journalist and two al-Jazeera colleagues for more than 100 days Prominent Egyptians are calling for the release of Australian journalist, Peter Greste, and his al-Jazeera colleagues from detention in Egypt. Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and local producer Baher Mohamed have been imprisoned for more than 100 days and face charges of...
Ex-army chief hits out at Muslim Brotherhood, saying it had tarnished Islam and 'need to reevaluate themselves' Egypt's likely next leader, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, will resign from office if his presidency sparks mass protests, the former army chief has said. "If people go down to protest, I will say: I am at your service," Sisi said in an interview with Sky News Arabia aired late on Sunday....
Eritrean torture survivors describe fight for survival in Egypt, where refugee groups struggle to cope with Syria crisis On the seventh floor of a Cairo apartment block, Leah bounces her six-month-old son on her knee describes the difficulties survivors of trafficking face as they try to build a new life in Egypt. Continue reading... ...
Mohamed Soltan, 26, has lost a third of his weight and is unable to stand unassisted after 100 days on hunger strike A US citizen who has been on hunger strike in an Egyptian jail for 100 days has lost at least a third of his bodyweight and is unable to stand unassisted, according to an independent medical report facilitated by the US embassy and seen by the Guardian. Mohamed Soltan, a 26-year-old...
Sound of the slums likened to grime music becomes Egyptian capital's new soundtrack but musicians struggle for acceptance Stroll through Egypt's capital and you can count on hearing two kinds of music. The first has been around for decades: the rich, sedate voice of Egypt's favourite diva, Umm Kulthum. The second is a more recent phenomenon. A raucous mishmash of auto-tuned rap and pounding drums,...
Artists from Europe, the US and north Africa support their local counterparts with works critical of the former army chief Some of the world's leading political artists are stepping up their efforts to produce street works protesting against the actions of Egypt's likely next president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. International graffiti stars such as Sampsa, Ganzeer and Captain Borderline and the painter...
Ruling against former National Democratic party officials comes before polls which ex-military chief Sisi is expected to win An Egyptian court has banned leaders of the former ruling party of ousted president Hosni Mubarak from running in elections, a vague injunction that could bar officials of that regime from returning to politics for the time being. The ban comes as Egypt prepares for presidential...
Egypt's former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warns the Muslim Brotherhood it 'will not exist' under his presidency as the country prepares for elections on 26 and 27 May. In a televised interview with Egypt's privately-owned CBC and ONTV channels, he says he has survived two assassination attempts since Mohamed Morsi's ousting in July last year Continue reading... ...
Egypt's former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issues warning as country prepares for presidential elections on 26-27 May Egypt's former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday night that the Muslim Brotherhood the group he removed from power last year will not exist if he is elected president later this month. The comments, in an interview broadcast on two Egyptian television stations, were...
The continuing incarceration of journalists is awful and unjust, but Egyptians will still get their democracy; that is not in question It is three years since Egypt's youth staged their 18-day revolution , after which the world rejoiced that the reign of dictators was over. Now comes yet more confirmation that these hopes were ill-founded, with a mass trial sentencing 683 people to death. Just as worryingly,...
Abdullah Elshamy, on hunger strike in notorious Tora prison, is one of at least 16,000 held since Morsi's overthrow last year An al-Jazeera journalist imprisoned in Egypt has lost over a third of his body weight after spending more than 100 days on hunger strike in one of Cairo's most notorious jails, claims his family. Photographs released by the broadcaster on Monday showed 26-year-old Abdullah Elshamy...
Abdel Fatah al-Sisi emphasises role of media in uniting country and hints at tough austerity measures to revive economy Egypt's former military chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi officially launched his presidential campaign on Saturday, exactly 10 months after leading the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi. At a meeting with a leading media personalities, Sisi emphasised the "critical" role of the local...
Egyptian judge's 'happy World Press Freedom day' remark puzzles Peter Greste's parents The mother of jailed Australian journalist Peter Greste says she will be there with her arms wide open on the day her son is finally freed in Egypt. The prosecution case against Greste and his al-Jazeera colleagues Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed wrapped up overnight, with the defence set to make its case on May...
Trial of three journalists adjourned until 15 May after brief hearing in Cairo court on World Press Freedom Day The judge trying three al-Jazeera journalists in Egypt wished them a happy World Press Freedom Day before refusing them bail and adjourning their case until 15 May. In a brief session on Saturday, one of the trio, al-Jazeera English's Cairo bureau chief, Mohamed Fahmy , was allowed to leave...
Twin suicide attacks in South Sinai leave one dead and seven injured, while officer dies in Cairo as militants step up attacks One Egyptian soldier was killed and at least seven more people wounded in two suicide attacks in South Sinai on Friday, and a policeman died in a bombing in Cairo, official sources said. Militant violence in Egypt has spiralled since Mohamed Morsi was ousted as president by...
Award committee honours Mohamed Fahmy's battle for free speech since being arrested with two colleagues in Cairo One of the four al-Jazeera journalists jailed in Egypt, Mohamed Fahmy, has been given a press freedom award, before the seventh session of his trial on Saturday. The Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom said it had awarded the prize to Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian and the Cairo bureau...