Egypt arrests and later convicts three Al Jazeera journalists on terrorism-related charges
Months after the military removed President Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian security forces arrested Al Jazeera English journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed at a Cairo hotel; courts later convicted them of aiding a banned organization, and international pressure led to pardons.12345
- Country
- Egypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180)
- Where
- EG
- Level of government
- National
- Tactics
- Detention and violence, Secrets and espionage laws
- Stage
- Punish (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- Adly Mansour
- Issue of the day
- The Egyptian military's July 2013 removal of President Mohamed Morsi and the government's subsequent designation of his Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
- Outcome
- Reversed, September 23, 2015. President Sisi pardoned Fahmy and Mohamed on September 23, 2015; Greste had already been deported to Australia in February 2015 under a prisoner-transfer arrangement.
- Era
- The 2010s
What happened
On December 29, 2013, Egyptian security forces arrested Al Jazeera English correspondent Peter Greste, bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy and producer Baher Mohamed at Cairo's Marriott Hotel, months after the military, led by then-Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, removed elected President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the government later designated a terrorist organization. Prosecutors charged the journalists with aiding the Brotherhood and "spreading false news"; a June 2014 trial convicted them, and an August 2015 retrial, after the first conviction was overturned on appeal, again found them guilty of "aiding a terrorist organisation," partly, the judge said, because they had not registered with the country's journalist "syndicate," sentencing Fahmy and Mohamed to three years. Al Jazeera called the verdict "a deliberate attack on press freedom"; Greste, already deported and tried in absentia, said, "We did nothing wrong. The court presented no evidence." President Sisi pardoned Fahmy and Mohamed on September 23, 2015, as part of a wider amnesty.12345
What reason was given
Prosecutors charged the journalists with aiding the banned Muslim Brotherhood and "spreading false news"; the August 2015 judge cited, in part, their failure to register with the country's official journalist "syndicate" and unauthorized broadcast equipment.2
What changed for reporting
All three lost their liberty for over a year on charges press-freedom groups said lacked evidence; Al Jazeera said the verdict was "yet another deliberate attack on press freedom," and the United Nations said it was "very disturbed" by the sentences.34
Timeline
2013
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Abdel Fattah el-Sisi | ordered | President of Egypt |
| Adly Mansour | ordered | Interim President of Egypt |
| Baher Mohamed | other | Producer, Al Jazeera English, Cairo |
| Mohamed Fahmy | other | Bureau Chief, Al Jazeera English, Cairo |
| Peter Greste | other | Correspondent, Al Jazeera English |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jazeera English | outlet | affected |
Sources
- Al Jazeera journalists arrested in Egypt
- Al Jazeera staff sentenced to jail in Egypt
- Al Jazeera journalists freed from Egypt prison
Claims cited
- The 2015 retrial found the journalists guilty of aiding a terrorist organization.
guilty of 'aiding a terrorist organisation'
Al Jazeera staff sentenced to jail in Egypt, Al Jazeera, 2015-08-29. Claim 280, checked 2026-09-22. - The judge said the conviction rested partly on the journalists' failure to register with the country's journalist syndicate.
sentenced the men to prison at least partly because they had not registered with the country's journalist 'syndicate'
Al Jazeera staff sentenced to jail in Egypt, Al Jazeera, 2015-08-29. Claim 281, checked 2026-09-22. - Al Jazeera said the verdict was another deliberate action against press freedom.
Today's verdict is yet another deliberate attack on press freedom
Al Jazeera staff sentenced to jail in Egypt, Al Jazeera, 2015-08-29. Claim 282, checked 2026-09-22. - Greste said the court presented no evidence and called the verdict political.
We did nothing wrong. The court presented no evidence. For us to be convicted as terrorists is outrageous. It can only be a political verdict. This is unethical
Al Jazeera staff sentenced to jail in Egypt, Al Jazeera, 2015-08-29. Claim 283, checked 2026-09-22. - President Sisi included the journalists in a pardon of people caught up in demonstration-law and related cases.
100 young people trapped in issues related to the breach of the law on demonstrations and some humanitarian and health cases
Al Jazeera journalists freed from Egypt prison, Al Jazeera, 2015-09-23. Claim 284, checked 2026-09-22.