Judge ‘very responsive,’ Fahmy says
Defence team for journalists asserts prosecution doesn’t have evidence of wrongdoing
Defence lawyers in the retrial of Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed continued with their closing arguments Thursday, telling the court the entire case was procedurally flawed and lacking in evidence of any wrongdoing.
“The prosecution’s argument is completely illegitimate,” Mohamed’s attorney, Mohamed Wahba, told the court. He said the search and arrest warrants used against the journalists were rife with legal inconsistencies and should be considered void.
Fahmy, a Canadian citizen, was arrested with his Australian colleague Peter Greste in December 2013 from the Marriott hotel where they had been operating. Mohamed, who was arrested from his home shortly afterwards, was subject to particularly harsh treatment.
Armed security forces raided his house at dawn, breaking down the doors of the apartment where he and his pregnant wife and two young children were sleeping, and shooting the family dog.
The three journalists were accused of belonging to or aiding a terrorist group and spreading false news that endangered national security.
While Fahmy and Greste received seven-year sentences, Mohamed’s was lengthened by three years for possession of a spent shell casing, a souvenir from a work trip to Libya.
The court of cassation — Egypt’s highest appeals court — overturned the verdict in January and ordered a retrial. Greste was deported shortly before the retrial began.
When Wahba, Mohamed’s lawyer, raised the issue of the bullet in court Thursday, the judge interrupted him to say the appeals court had already ruled on that issue, saying it was void.
Wahba went on to cite a report by a committee of technical experts commissioned by the court that found none of Al Jazeera’s footage had been doctored, a key accusation of the prosecution. He also said there was no evidence whatsoever to prove that any of the journalists belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt calls a terrorist organization.
“I was very happy today with the performance of the lawyer,” Mo- hamed said outside the courtroom after the session was adjourned. “I think all the defendants will benefit from this defence.”
Attorneys for students accused in the case also delivered their closing remarks. “I feel (the judge) is very responsive and I feel we will be exonerated and we’re very hopeful,” Fahmy told reporters outside the courtroom.
The judge adjourned the case to June 25 when the defence will continue its closing arguments.