Egypt pardons Al Jazeera journalists 2 years after arrests
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday pardoned Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, presidential spokesman Alaa Yousef told CNN.
The two were among 100 prisoners that el-Sisi pardoned Wednesday.
Fahmy and Mohamed and were among three Al Jazeera journalists arrested in Egypt in December 2013, accused of supporting the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and broadcasting footage — including video of clashes between police and protesters — that portrayed the Egyptian regime falsely with the intention of bringing it down.
The three, who said they were just doing their jobs, were convicted last year, sparking an outcry among journalists and activists around the world. They were granted a retrial this year, and the third journalist, Peter Greste, was deported to Australia.
But their convictions were affirmed by a judge in August, and they were sentenced to three years in prison, with Greste sentenced in absentia.(CNN)
