Colleague Ahmed Taha, broadcaster on Al-Jazeera Mubasher, said that the ruling on his imprisonment, which was issued in absentia, is a message to the rest of the media, aimed at striking all the values and covenants that Egypt signed regarding freedoms.
Taha confirmed - in an interview with Al Jazeera - that the verdict issued after his name was involved in a case in which others are being tried, on charges of "spreading false news" was very heavy on his family members.
On Sunday, the Emergency Supreme State Security Criminal Court in Egypt sentenced Ahmed Taha to 15 years in prison, based on the prosecution’s accusation that he had conducted a television interview with former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh on Al Jazeera Mubasher in February 2018.
Al Jazeera Media Network expressed, in a statement, its condemnation of this ruling, stressing that it is unfair.
The network added that the decision was taken within the framework of a continuous campaign launched by the Egyptian authorities on Al-Jazeera and its journalists for years.
The network also confirmed that the court's decision represents a new downfall of justice and the judiciary in Egypt, and is not based on any legal foundations.
Al Jazeera also renewed its demand for the release of the four Al Jazeera Mubasher journalists, who are being held without charge in Egypt, who are Hisham Abdel Aziz, Bahaa El Din Ibrahim, Ahmed El Nagdy and Rabea El Sheikh.
The network called on organizations and bodies that support freedom of the press to condemn the arbitrary detention of journalists, and demand their immediate release.
convictions
Condemnations continued by the press and human rights circles of the verdict issued against colleague Ahmed Taha.
Amnesty International condemned the ruling, saying that Ahmed Taha was prosecuted solely for his media work, adding that the ruling represented "another blow to freedom of expression and the press in the country."
The organization called on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to annul Taha's sentence and said that the authorities should stop using emergency courts completely.
Amnesty International also described the emergency court procedures as violating the most basic fair trial standards, including the right of defendants to have their convictions and sentences reviewed by higher courts.
Amnesty International called on the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those detained solely for exercising their human rights, including politicians, journalists, lawyers and human rights activists.
For his part, Aiden White, head of the Ethical Journalism Network, called in an interview with Al Jazeera to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to stop the crackdown on journalists.
"Asking questions and giving people a platform to express their opinions exposes you in Egypt to arrest and accusations," White said.
He added that the verdict was issued against colleague Ahmed Taha "for nothing but because he provided a platform for expressing opinion."
White added that Egypt's record "is appalling in stifling dissent. Journalists are an easy target. The British government and the international community in general must hold Egypt accountable for this."