Al Jazeera stages solidarity day with Egypt-held staff

DOHA — Al Jazeera television on Thursday organised a “global day of action” in solidarity with its four journalists detained in Egypt over accusations of supporting the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Dozens of staff of the Doha-based satellite news channel staged a five-minute gathering at the network’s headquarters.

“It is not a crime to be a journalist,” read banners carried by Al Jazeera staff, some of them with their mouth taped, an Al Jazeera journalist told AFP.

The channel said protests were held in other cities in support of the campaign.

In Khartoum, around 100 Sudanese journalists and activists staged a silent vigil on a street near the office of the satellite channel, an AFP journalist reported.

Al Jazeera declared Thursday a “global day of action” in support of its staff and for media freedom in general.

The detained Al Jazeera staff in Egypt include Australian journalist Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian colleague Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.

They have been held since December in a case that has sparked an international outcry.

Their trial began in a Cairo court last week, against the backdrop of strained ties between Cairo and Doha, which backed deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and his now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Morsi was ousted by the army in July.

The government has designated the Brotherhood a “terrorist organisation”, although the group denies involvement in a spate of bombings since Morsi’s overthrow.

The three journalists are accused of supporting the Brotherhood and broadcasting false reports, charges denied by the television network.

A fourth Al Jazeera journalist, Abdullah Al Shami, has been held since August.