Egyptian court sentences 3 Al Jazeera journalists to prison

By Sarah Sirgany, Ian Lee and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

Updated 1136 GMT (1836 HKT) August 29, 2015

Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed must return to prison

• Australian journalist Peter Greste, freed early this year, was sentenced in absentia
• "Today's verdict is yet another deliberate attack on press freedom," says Al Jazeera boss

Cairo (CNN)An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced three Al Jazeera journalists to three years in prison after a lengthy retrial.

Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were present for the proceedings. Australian Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste, who was freed in February 2015, was sentenced in absentia.

The journalists were charged with aiding a terrorist organization, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in Egypt after the army overthrew President Mohamed Morsy amid mass protests against his rule in 2013.

The journalists have said they were just doing their jobs, covering all sides of the stories in Egy

pt.

Journalist Peter Greste: 'I can't go back' to Egypt 03:38

Al Jazeera Media Network's acting director general Mostefa Souag condemned the verdict, saying it "defies logic and common sense" and follows a heavily politicized and unfair trial process.

The court's ruling means Fahmy and Mohamed must return to prison, he said.

"Today's verdict is yet another deliberate attack on press freedom. It is a dark day for the Egyptian judiciary; rather than defend liberties and a free and fair media they have compromised their independence for political reasons."

All three were convicted last year on charges that included conspiring with the Brotherhood, spreading false news and endangering national security, but they have maintained their innocence.

The three appealed their convictions, and in January their attorneys announced that Egypt's highest court had granted them a retrial.

CNN's Ian Lee and journalist Sarah Sirgany reported from Cairo, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London. CNN's Yousuf Basil also contributed to this report.