BY GREG WILESMITH ABC The lawyer who represented Peter Greste for most of his trial says the Al Jazeera network would have won few friends in Egypts hierarchy when it sued for $150 million after its journalists were detained. Greste and two colleagues were convicted on charges of spreading false news and supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood - charges they strongly denied - amid chaotic scenes in Cairo on Monday. Lawyer Faraj Fathy Faraj resigned from the case in May, claiming in court that Al Jazeera was more interested in using the trial as a marketing device than being interested in the welfare of its journalists. Following the overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi, the network sued the Egyptian government claiming $US150 million in commercial damages over the closing of its Cairo offices, interrupting its satellite feeds and harsh treatment of its journalists. Mr Faraj has told the ABCs Foreign Correspondent program that the legal action was just silly. They did not have a licence to operate in the first place. What is the logic to this case? he said. Al Jazeera swiftly condemned the sentence handed down to its journalists, saying it defies logic, sense and any semblance of justice. Asked by Foreign Correspondent whether launching the commercial case while the trial was underway was a mistake, Al Jazeera managing director Al Anstey said: Power without logic or sense The decision to jail Australian journalist Peter Greste for seven years brings home the reason why so many Egyptians are disillusioned, writes David Hardaker That lawsuit for me is less about money and more about maintaining the pressure at every level, to say to the Egyptian authorities and indeed the Egyptian legal system that what is taking place here is not judicial, it is not right, and to detain journalists, incredibly good journalists who were simply doing their job of great journalism for such a great period of time, is an outrage. Mr Faraj said a central problem with the defence was that the Al Jazeera channels - Al Jazeera Arabic, Mubashar Misr (Egypt Live) and Al Jazeera English - were operating in Egypt without licences and the journalists had not been properly accredited by the government. The first mistake was that Al Jazeera was working without a permit, and it didnt tell its staff that they were working without a permit, he said. Mr Faraj said he sought to explain to the court that Greste and his colleagues did not know that their employer did not have proper licences to operate in Egypt. Mr Anstey denied the claim about licences but acknowledged the issue of media accreditation. He said he did not regard accreditation as an important issue, pointing out that many journalists in Egypt were working without media passes. Shocked parents vow to continue fight Grestes parents, Juris and Lois, say they are shocked that their son was sentenced to seven years in jail and are still considering whether to appeal against the sentence. My first reaction was to call the press conference off, but taking a little bit of time to collect ourselves, we realised that there is really little time to sit back and relax because we do have to struggle on, Juris Greste said. The moment hopes were dashed A few days before their sons verdict was due, Lois and Peter Greste were in high spirits. The release a few days earlier of Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Abdullah Al Shamy gave them real hope that Peter would be next. Plans to go to Qatar, where Al Jazeera is based, were discussed. I dont want to hug him in front of lots of TV cameras, Lois mused, while Juris confided that they had gone shopping for champagne the day before: The first thing Peter will want to do is go kitesurfing. A few nights later I was with the Grestes at their Brisbane home. The passports were on the bench, the champagne cold in the fridge. Prime Minister Tony Abbotts news that morning that he had spoken with the new Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi added to their hopes. We sat down and waited for the results over Twitter. An hour or two passed and then suddenly Lois and Juriss world came crashing down. Seven years for Peter Greste, Lois read aloud slowly in disbelief. My god. My God. Juris jumped to his feet. Thats crazy. Their daughters-in law ran upstairs to support and hug Lois who looked on the verge of collapse. The Grestes had all but convinced themselves this would be Peters last day in jail. The result was incomprehensible. - by Foreign Correspondent producer Sophie McNeill It is so unfair. It flaunts all principles of natural justice, of procedure and principle. We just cannot rest here. Mrs Greste said ultimately the case was bigger than just her son. He obviously is our first priority in getting him out of jail along with his colleagues Baher and Fahmy, but it is about freedom of the press and this is a worldwide problem, she said. The dismay at the verdict and sentence given to Greste and his colleagues extended across the political divide. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it was bewildering but that the Government was taking a cautious line as it decided what should happen next. What we dont want to do is engage unhelpful megaphone diplomacy because that wont do Peter Greste any good; it wont do his two Al Jazeera colleagues any good, he said. The Egyptian embassys first secretary in Australia was summoned to a meeting with officials in Canberra this morning to discuss the case. Sherif Hussein did not speak publicly after the meeting, which was held at the Department of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was taking steps to formally ask Egypts newly elected president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, to personally intervene in the case.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 13:47:31 +0000
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