Egyptian court gives death sentence to two Al-Jazeera journalists; Former President Mohamed Mursi's verdict postponed

Chiqui Guyjoco Thursday, May 12, 2016

An Egyptian court on Saturday, May 7 ruled a death sentence for six individuals including two Al Jazeera journalists on charges of endangering national security by passing over important documents to Qatar during the administration of ousted president Mohamed Mursi.

Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi is seen behind bars during his trial at a court in Cairo May 8, 2014. | Reuters/Stringer

According to Reuters, the two Al Jazeera journalists facing death penalty are Jordanian national news producer, Alaa Omar Sablan, and former director of Al Jazeera's Arabic channel, Ibrahim Mohammed Helal. The two were tried in absentia and so have the legal rights to appeal the verdict.

Al Jazeera posted on its website that it categorically denies allegations that it was collaborating with Mursi's elected government. The satellite channel describes the court's ruling as "an unprecedented assault on freedom of expression."

The third individual who can also appeal after being tried in absentia and facing the same ruling is Asmaa Mohamed al-Khatib, a reporter for pro-Muslim Brotherhood Rassd news outlet.

Judge Mohammed Shireen Famy announced Saturday's ruling and said that a final decision including that of Mursi's verdict would have to wait until the Grand Mufti, the country's top religious authority, make their non-binding opinion on June 18.

Mursi, overthrown in 2013 by then army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was already sentenced to death and life imprisonment in three other cases. He is now in jail together with thousands of Brotherhood members who are also facing death sentence in different cases. Sisi believes Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, which was what used to be the country's most organized political group, still poses a serious threat to the national security. Relations between Egypt and the Gulf Arab state of Qatar have turned sour since the ouster.

"I believe that this is a weak point in the Egyptian system, which might bring catastrophes to the whole country, especially when it comes to freedoms and human rights," Al Jazeera's Middle East analyst Yahia Ghanem said about the court ruling.

"The case's documents are devoid of any type of espionage or participation in it," a defense lawyer told Reuters.