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Al Jazeera Demands Compensation From Egypt Over Imprisoned Journalists

Al Jazeera Demands Compensation From Egypt Over Imprisoned Journalists

Qatar-owned news network Al Jazeera has filed a $150 million compensation claim against Egypt’s interim government seeking payment for the arrest and imprisonment of its four reporters on allegations of terrorism and broadcast of false news.

Al Jazeera said its news crew had been subjected to threats and harassment from the interim government since the overthrow of the Mursi government.

Three of its journalists – Peter Greste, an Australian; Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian national; and Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian — were detained in Cairo on Dec. 29 and are on trial facing charges of terrorism and spreading false news, which they deny.

A fourth al-Jazeera reporter, Abdullah al-Shami, has been detained since August but not charged, while several others have faced different forms of intimidation from government operatives.

“Al Jazeera has been subjected to a sustained campaign of harassment, intimidation and jamming of its transmission, with Egyptian security forces raiding its offices, shutting it down and confiscating its equipment in addition to attacking its reputation,” the network said in an emailed statement to AFKInsider.

Al Jazeera said in a statement that it had lodged a formal “notification of dispute” with Egypt’s interim government based on a 1999 bilateral investment treaty between Egypt and Qatar, which stipulates the mutual promotion and protection of investments.

“As per the Bilateral Treaty, if no amicable settlement between Al Jazeera and the Egyptian authorities has been reached within six months, Al Jazeera will take the case to international arbitration,” the statement said.

Cameron Doley the lawyer handling the claim for Al Jazeera, told Reuters the claim would also cover anticipated future losses arising from the effective shutdown of Al Jazeera’s Egypt operations.

“Al Jazeera invested substantial sums in Egypt,” Doley told reuters. “The effect of this recent campaign by the military government is that this investment has been expropriated. Egypt is bound by international law to pay Al Jazeera just and effective compensation.”