– ‘Settling political scores’ –
The reporters were arrested when Egypt and Qatar were at loggerheads after Morsi was removed by then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is now president, following mass protests against his one-year rule.
“Their arrest was a settling of political scores between Egypt and Qatar,” Fahmy’s lawyer Negad al-Borai said.
Ties worsened when Qatar, a key backer of the Muslim Brotherhood, repeatedly denounced Morsi’s overthrow, prompting Cairo to accuse Al-Jazeera of biased coverage.
At least 1,400 people have died in the crackdown on Islamist supporters, most of them in August 2013 when police broke up two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo.
The diplomatic row now appears to be ending following mediation by Gulf heavyweight Saudi Arabia, a key Sisi backer.
On December 20, Cairo told a Qatari envoy it was ready for a “new era” in relations with Doha, as the emirate offered its “full support” to Sisi.
Two days later, Al-Jazeera announced the surprise closure of its Egyptian channel, which had consistently criticised Cairo since Morsi’s ouster.
“It is quite likely the final result will be the release of the journalists. How and when that happens is another issue,” H.A. Hellyer of the Centre for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington told AFP ahead of Thursday’s hearing.
Sisi himself has said he would have preferred the journalists to have been deported rather than tried.
In November, he issued a decree allowing him to deport foreigners sentenced to prison or on trial.
The court also ordered a retrial for co-defendants, including four Egyptians, in the case, who were jailed for seven years on charges of belonging to a terrorist organisation and for “damaging the image of Egypt”.
Eleven other defendants, tried in absentia, including one Dutch and two British journalists, were given 10-year sentences.
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