Egypt's President Sisi "regrets" al-Jazeera journalists' trialJuly 7, 2014 - 18:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has said he wishes the three al-Jazeera journalists imprisoned last month had never been put on trial, reports say, according to BBC News. Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were sentenced to between seven and 10 years in jail after being found guilty of aiding a "terrorist group". Sisi was quoted by the al-Masry al-Youm newspaper late on Sunday, July 6 as saying the trial had "very negative effects". His remarks received a mixed response from the journalists' families. Foreign governments, media organisations and human rights groups accused the Egyptian authorities of restricting freedom of speech. Al-Jazeera said it defied "logic, sense and any semblance of justice". At a meeting with local journalists on Sunday, President Sisi sought to counter claims that the case had been politically motivated. "The verdict issued against a number of journalists had very negative effects; and we had nothing to do with it," he said, according to al-Masry al-Youm. "I wished they were deported immediately after they were arrested instead of being put on trial." Mohammed Abdul Hadi Allam, the editor of the state-run al-Ahram newspaper, and Imad Hussein, the editor of the private daily al-Shurouq, confirmed to the BBC that the quotes were accurate. The president's initial reaction was to distance himself from the case and insist he would not interfere with the judiciary. His latest remarks will therefore raise hopes that he might issue pardons to set the journalists free. However, under Egyptian law this can only happen after the appeals process has ended, which could take months, BBC said. Photo: Euronews Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |