Convicted Jazeera journalists seek Sisi's intervention

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A group of Al Jazeera journalists and employees convicted in absentia by Egypt's courts announced yesterday that they were in the process of formally requesting that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi intervene in their cases.
The seven are part of the same case that saw Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy walk free from jail last week.
"The case has become a cause celebre around the world and a lightning rod for discussion and activism on press freedom", says a release issued by Al Jazeera Media Network.
The seven include Peter Greste who was released in February this year after more than a year in prison. Despite being released from prison and sent back to Australia by presidential order, his name continued to be called in a later retrial, leading to his conviction for a second time. He is now asking the Egyptian president to fully resolve the case.
"Four Egyptians and two Britons form the remaining six whose lives have been affected in multifaceted ways," says the release.
"Mohamed Fawzy, Alaa Bayoumi, Khalil Bahnacy and Anas Abdel Wahab all work for different channels across the Al Jazeera network, and are unable to return to their home country of Egypt as a result of the court action," it says. "Some of them didn't even work in Egypt during the period of the case, nor did they have contact with anyone else involved."
Dominic Kane is an Al Jazeera English senior producer and Sue Turton gave up her job as a roving international correspondent due to travel restrictions placed upon her by the case.
At a press conference yesterday in New York, hosted by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the group said that following the breakthrough for Mohamed and Fahmy, they also must be allowed to put the unjust convictions behind them through an intervention by Sisi.