Veteran Pakistani journalists call for release of Al-Jazeera trio

JournalismPakistan.com | Published 10 years ago

ISLAMABAD: Veteran journalists in Pakistan have condemned the sentencing of three Al-Jazeera English journalists to prison for three years in Egypt and called for their immediate release.

Zahid Hussain, a senior journalist in Islamabad, said Saturday's court verdict was "an attack on the freedom of the press" and demanded the release of the three journalists.

Chaudhry Khadim Hussain, a senior member of Pakistan's Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), also criticized the Egyptian court.

Hussain said: "Journalists should not be tried for doing their professional work." He called the Egyptian court verdict an attack on media freedom.

Mohammed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohammed were detained in December 2013 in Cairo while working for the Doha-based network. - AP

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