Egypt Court Frees Journalists On Bail

A court in Egypt has ordered the release on bail of two Al Jazeera journalists being retried for allegedly aiding the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were imprisoned in June along with their Australian colleague, Peter Greste.

But their convictions for spreading false news to help a terrorist group were overturned on appeal last month.

Mr Greste was freed last week under a law allowing the deportation of foreign nationals to their home countries.

Mr Fahmy has given up his Egyptian citizenship to qualify for deportation to Canada, but Mr Mohamed has no foreign passport.

The journalists strenuously deny collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood after the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by the military in 2013. They say they were jailed simply for reporting the news.

'Worst nightmare'

Mr Fahmy and Mr Mohamed appeared in a soundproof glass cage - which allows judges to limit defendants' ability to protest or interrupt proceedings - at the start of their retrial at the Cairo Criminal Court on Thursday morning.

After a brief recess, Judge Hassan Farid adjourned proceedings until 23 February and ordered that the two men be released.

Source: BBC