A court in Egyptian capital Cairo will today announce its verdict against an Australian correspondent and two of his colleagues, who were working for the English edition of Al Jazeera.
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According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian journalist Peter Greste and his two colleagues Baher Mohamed, a producer, and Canadian-born Mohamed Fahmy, a bureau chief, have spent 400 and 411 days respectively in an Egyptian prison after a court found them guilty of producing false news and damaging Egypt's reputation.
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All three are facing the possibility of spending more time in jail, and as Greste said, that if he is convicted, it will mean that he won't be able to travel to any country that does not have an extradition treaty with Egypt.
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The court in Cairo could find all three guilty but release them with time served. It could also impose a similar sentence as the last judge (seven years for Greste and Fahmy and 10 for Mohamed), or could also impose a fine on Al-Jazeera English for license violations.
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Mohamed and Fahmy are currently out on bail.
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According to the Sydney Morning Herald report, all three journalists have been campaigning tirelessly for media freedom during their time in prison, and since their release, as have their families who have travelled the world to raise awareness about journalism and democracy.
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They were among at least 18 journalists imprisoned in Egypt, along with an estimated 16,000 political prisoners including activists, students, unionists, academics and lawyers, although human rights groups warn that figure could be as high as 40,000.
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All have vehemently protested their innocence and say they were simply doing their jobs as journalists.
