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UP FRONTThursday 24 September
2 Al-Jazeera journalists pardoned, released in Egypt US man accused
of killing South
HAMZA HENDAWI to three years in prison in a ment has finally corrected thorities have declared a
Associated Press retrial last month for airing a longstanding injustice,” terrorist organization, and Korean extradited
CAIRO (AP) — President what a court described as she said in a statement. airing falsified video intend- for his new trial
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi par- “false news” and coverage Al-Jazeera also said it was ed to damage national
doned and released two biased in favor of the Mus- happy for its employees. security. They initially were HYUNG-JIN KIM
Al-Jazeera English journal- lim Brotherhood. Since the “It is hard to celebrate, convicted June 23, 2014, Associated Press
ists Wednesday, ending a 2013 military overthrow of though, as this whole epi- with Greste and Fahmy SEOUL, South Korea (AP) —
case that was widely con- former President Moham- sode should not have hap- sentenced to seven years An American charged with
demned by human rights med Morsi, hundreds of his pened in the first place,” in prison and Mohammed murder in the stabbing of a
groups and had raised supporters have been killed the broadcaster said in a to 10 years for also being Seoul university student in
questions about Egypt’s in clashes with security statement. found with a spent bullet 1997, who officials say had
commitment to democra- forces and thousands were The long-running trial of the casing. That ruling was later fled to the U.S., was extra-
cy and free speech. detained, including almost Al-Jazeera staff was en- overturned on appeal, and dited to South Korea on
Wednesday to face a new
Canadian Al-Jazeera English journalist Mohamed Fahmy second left, and his Egyptian colleague Baher Mohammed, celebrate trial in a case that has gen-
with their wives after being released from Torah prison in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015. Fahmy and his colleague Baher, erated widespread interest
were among a group of 100 people pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on the eve of the major Muslim holiday of and a local movie.
Eid al-Adha. The pardon also comes a day before the Egyptian leader is to travel to New York to attend the United Nations General Arthur Patterson, 35, from
Assembly. California, faces charges
of fatally stabbing Cho
(AP Photo/Amr Nabil) Choong-pil at a Burger
King restaurant in Itaewon,
The move to free Canadian the entire leadership of his tangled from the start with a retrial ended with last an entertainment district
journalist Mohamed Fahmy group, the now-outlawed the wider political enmity month’s convictions. near U.S. military head-
and Egyptian national Ba- Muslim Brotherhood. between Egypt and the Greste was deported ear- quarters in Seoul.
her Mohammed came The two journalists were re- super-rich Gulf state of Qa- lier this year. He was told of “It’s not right that they
days before el-Sissi’s ap- leased hours after the par- tar, where the broadcaster the pardons for Fahmy and (Cho’s family members)
pearance at the U.N. Gen- don was announced, and is based, following Morsi’s Mohammed during a tap- have to keep going
eral Assembly, as well as on dropped off by police in a ouster. Egypt maintains ing of a TV show in Austra- through this pain over and
the eve of a major holiday Cairo suburb. that Qatar is fueling unrest lia, and was overcome with over and over, but it’s not
in Islam, Eid al-Adha. “We have not digested the in Egypt through its support emotion. “We’ve been right that I’m here either.
Also receiving presidential fact that we are free, we to Islamists, including the fighting for the past eight I’m still shocked that I’m
pardons were 100 people, don’t have to worry about Brotherhood. months for this,” he said even here,” Patterson told
including dozens of hu- anything else,” said Fahmy, Egypt’s official MENA news before composing himself reporters after arriving from
man rights activists. Most of who joined Al-Jazeera just agency said a third person and punching the air with Los Angeles at Incheon In-
them were convicted and months before his arrest. from the Al-Jazeera case both fists. ternational Airport, west of
imprisoned for breaking a “Our families have suffered — which included multiple In comments to Al-Jazeera Seoul. Patterson’s friend,
disputed law enacted in so much since the begin- other defendants along English, he added: “We American Edward Lee,
2013 that prohibits unap- ning of this trial, and we’re with Australian journalist Pe- have to keep in mind that was sentenced to life in
proved demonstrations. very happy that el-Sissi took ter Greste — was also par- this is not over until every- prison for the murder. An
The measure has almost this action and released doned but was not identi- one who was caught up in appeals court reduced
entirely ended street activ- us.” Fahmy’s lawyer, Amal fied by name. this case has gone free.” the sentence to 20 years
ism in Egypt. Clooney, said she was “de- Fahmy, Greste and Mo- As defense minister, el-Sis- and later acquitted Lee in
Fahmy and Mohammed lighted” by the pardon. hammed were charged si led the ouster of Morsi, a new trial, citing a lack
were arrested in Decem- “This is a historic day in with being part of the Mus- Egypt’s first freely elected of evidence. Patterson re-
ber 2013 and sentenced Egypt where the govern- lim Brotherhood, which au- president. q ceived 18 months in prison
for destroying evidence
and possessing a danger-
ous weapon. He was freed
in a special amnesty be-
fore finishing his prison term.
Prosecutors then launched
a new investigation and
barred Patterson from
leaving South Korea. How-
ever, he fled to the U.S. in
1999, while South Korean
authorities were trying to
renew a travel ban on him,
according to South Ko-
rea’s Justice Ministry.
In 2011, prosecutors
charged Patterson with
murder, citing fresh evi-
dence.
Patterson and Lee, both
teenagers at the time, ac-
cused each other of killing
Cho, 22, who was found
with multiple stab wounds
in the restaurant’s bath-
room and died on the way
to a hospital.q
