28 August 2014
Jailed Al Jazeera journalist Baher Mohamed will become a father again today. His unjust imprisonment has however meant that he could not be at his wife Gehan’s side when she gave birth to a baby boy.
From his jail cell, Baher released a letter to the new arrival, to be named Haroun. The letter is a mix of sadness and hope for the child’s future, as well as some valuable wisdom for his two other children four year old Hazem, and three year old Fairouz.
Baher begins with sharing his hopes that there are better days ahead for Egypt:
“Sorry because you were born where free people are behind bars, including your father. Sorry too because you have come to a society where its freedom’s restricted. But I promise you I will always fight for liberty. I don’t want you to give up on this society…because I am sure that soon everything will change for the better”
He goes on to share his life lessons to his children:
My dear children; there are things I learnt and I want to share with you. I was always fighting for the truth in my career, and that was not easy. Whatever it takes; keep looking for the truth and never be afraid of it. I want you all to maintain your dignity. It is one of your most precious values. Always be patient because you will face lots of obstacles in your path. Always be good to all, even to those who treat you badly. Feel the pain of the others and keep trying to help them. If you feel you can help and make someone happy never hesitate. If you can draw a smile on someone’s face…then take the action to draw this smile.
My dear children…keep smiling because behind the clouds the sun always shines.”
Finally, Baher tells of the close bond between the families of the three imprisoned journalists, who will be there to support each his wife and child at the hospital:
“Finally Haroun, I want you to ask your Mama to forgive me because I couldn’t be with her the moment you arrived. I want you also to take it easy on her. And by the way…the moment you will arrive you will meet two great Australians; the parents of Peter Greste, who is in prison (with) me, as well as The great Egyptian family of Mohamed Fahmy my colleague. Together we are sharing this struggle; and together we will celebrate your birth. They are your family and their sons’ are your father’s brothers.
So don’t be shy of them.
Love you Haroun..your father: Baher Mohamed”
Baher’s wife Gehan was admitted to hospital today, to deliver her son. Without his father, the parents of Peter Greste and Mohamed Fahmy’s family gathered to support her at this time.
Follow #FREEAJSTAFF for more shots of the family gathered for the birth of Haroun.
21 August 2014
Lawyers for the jailed Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt have filed appeals against their convictions.
The weaknesses in the case have been widely protested and ridiculed, and much of the public criticism is reflected in the grounds for appeal.
The case will next be heard before the Court of Cassation which will examine the grounds for hearing a full appeal. A date for the hearing has not yet been set.
The submission to the court rests on the breaches of process in the case. These include:
• Flaws in the arrest procedure
• The fact that evidence presented in court did not marry with the charges
• Prosecution expert technical witnesses submitted statements which were somehow verbatim
• The journalists were accused of editing footage, but without originals, no one could have known whether they were in fact edited
• The judge’s verdict made mention of lack of accreditation, but this is not a criminal offence
Al Anstey, managing director of Al Jazeera English said:
“The appeal will lay bare the flaws in the case against Peter, Baher and Mohammed. These are three outstanding journalists who were just doing their jobs, and journalism is not a crime. We look forward to them being exonerated in due course. We will not stop in this quest till they are reunited with their families, and back doing the jobs they love.”
The campaign to free the three received a further boost this week when leading international and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin said they should be released, saying that the case was an example of how to set up a “kangaroo court”.
21 August 2014
The United Kingdom is set to host a NATO Summit in Wales from 4th-5th September 2014.
President Obama, Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande are expected to attend along with Heads of State and Government from around 60 other countries. The on-going instability in Ukraine and Israel’s recent land offensive in Gaza provide a backdrop for the talks, chaired by current Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
TIMA will be operational to assist broadcasters’ needs:
- HD / SD Live Stand-up facilities from The Media Centre at Celtic Manor*
- Tape playout facilities (subject to format)
- International point-to-point delivery via satellite on TIMA’s Eutelsat 10A leased capacity and fibre networks
- ENG crews available on request
*Live position will be inside the accreditation zone. Accreditation has now closed.
See https://my.hq.nato.int/ for more details.
The Media Centre will open between 12:00 – 23:30 on Wednesday 3rd September, and then stay open between 05:00 Thursday 4th September and 23:45 on Friday 5th September.
Contact TIMA on +44 20 7024 9650; e bookings@tima.com; www.tima.com
7 August 2014
US President Barack Obama has once again called for the release of Al Jazeera English journalists, jailed for seven years in Cairo on 23 June this year.
Speaking on the last day of the US-Africa summit in Washington DC on Wednesday 6th August, Obama addressed the issue in clear terms, stating the US demands the freedom of journalists to report, a basic tenet of a civilised society:
“The specific issue with the Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt we have been clear both publicly and privately that they should be released”, Obama stated. “We have been very consistent in pushing governments not just in Africa but around the world to respect the right of journalists to practice their trade. As a critical part of civil society and a critical part of any democratic norm”.
Managing Director of Al Jazeera English, Al Anstey, welcomed the President’s comments and renewed the call for the immediate release of Al Jazeera English’s detained staff who have now been behind bars for 222 days:
“Peter, Mohamed, and Baher are superb journalists with great integrity. Their continuing detention is outrageous, a challenge to media freedom, and to the freedom of speech. Not a shred of evidence was presented against them in the trail which culminated in the extraordinary sentences, so once again we call for an end to this injustice.”
Unprecedented global support for the release of Al Jazeera journalists
Calls for the release of Al Jazeera staff have previously been made from the White House, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the European Union, the Australian Government and over 150 rights groups, including The Association for International Broadcasting, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute.
Over 200,000 people have signed petitions globally, including two petitions signed by 150,000 people presented to the Egyptian Vice Counsel in Sydney by Australia’s leading journalists.
Over 40 of the world’s top journalists have also signed a letter demanding the release of the journalists, and media outlets across the globe have staged their own protests, including BBC, CNN, ITN, Channel 4, Fairfax Australia, Toronto Star, VRT deredactie and Iran’s Shargh Daily.
High profile supporters include leading media personalities Larry King, Christiane Amanpour, Jon Snow, Piers Morgan, Stephen Fry, Ben Wedeman, Brian Stelter, Alex Thompson, as well as Naomi Klein, Reza Aslan, Mia Farrow, Bianca Jagger, Julia Perez and Russell Simmons.
Similarly public calls of support for the release of the journalists has occurred throughout the social media campaign #FreeAJStaff, with over 137,000 people who have shared their support on Twitter, reaching 112 million people, and delivering over 2 billion impressions.
The case has also been lampooned on the US comedy show The Daily Show, as well as numerous political cartoons.
7 August 2014
On Thursday, 7 August Al Jazeera English began special coverage of ‘Gaza Under Fire’, one month since the start of the conflict. From online infographic and in-depth analysis, to news features throughout the day, the coverage will be in comprehensive, culminating in a full special news hour at 1800 GMT (9pm Gaza, 7pm London).
“Our reporters on the ground in Gaza delivered exceptional insights, updates and witness accounts during the heat of the conflict,” commented Managing Director of Al Jazeera English, Al Anstey. “At the one-month mark, with a ceasefire in place, we can now look at the impact and assess the damage to both sides.”
Al Jazeera assesses the scale of destruction of the Gaza strip, after a month of Israeli bombardment. The coverage also look at attempts to rebuild lives and infrastructure after weeks of airstrikes and a ground offensive, which has included heavy tank shelling in civilian areas.
Correspondents Andrew Simmons, Imtiaz Tyab and Charles Stratford will deliver live crosses from Gaza, covering the human impact of the conflict in Gaza; from child trauma to the reality of life under siege.
Diplomatic Editor James Bays will assess how the conflict is playing out politically for all sides, as well as the overall cost to both Hamas and Israel from the month-long conflict. Senior Correspondents Jonah Hull and Patty Culhane in London and Washington, DC will review the international reaction to the crisis.
Also covered are the UN accusations of war crimes committed by Palestinian factions operating in densely populated civilian areas and claims of a disproportionate use of force by Israel. Further, the diplomatic attempts to negotiate a lifting of the Israeli imposed blockade.
AlJazeera.com will feature an infographic detailing the scope of the destruction in Gaza and will also hear from ordinary Gazans, highlight how world leaders responded and photo galleries detailing the month-long conflict.
‘We will provide comprehensive insight into the conflict itself, but also the bigger story on the ongoing siege of Gaza, highlighting the crucial facts the latest escalation of violence has exposed”, stated Salah Negm, Director of News for Al Jazeera English.
Download promo: http://goo.gl/1wofvc
1 August 2014
Euronews’ Isabelle Kumar spoke to Ellen MacArthur in The Global Conversation first aired 31 July 2014. After battling towering waves alone at sea, she broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe in 2005, Ellen MacArthur returns with a new challenge: accelerate the transition to an eco-friendly circular economy.
During the interview, Ellen MacArthur also engages with Euronews’ online audience by answering questions submitted via #AskMacArthur.
On the circular economy:
“I think one of the most interesting elements of the European Commission’s work around the circular economy, is that they are looking at taking, for example, the eco-design directive, which is very much focused on the energy consumption of products, and saying how do we take that further to look at what sits within products, the recyclability of products of course, but actually that lies within the fact that the products are designed to be recycled, they’re designed to be regenerated, they are designed to be remanufactured, so its opening up much more to look at the whole system, rather than just the energy element.”
About the adrenalin:
“There’s a lot of adrenalin in both worlds. How does that adrenalin compare? When you sail around the world there is massive adrenalin, you fear for your life, but ultimately, it does not matter. If it all goes wrong, it’s just you, it’s your family, the implications on your family and friends, but ultimately it’s just you, it doesn’t really matter, and you do it for you because that’s your goal. This isn’t for me, this is something much larger, this is a massive challenge for all of us moving forwards. If there is a reason for adrenalin to be higher in this, well its because actually, this matters, our global economy really matters.”
