Jazeera 'torture video' journalist acquitted by Egypt court

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2008

CAIRO (AFP) — A Cairo appeals court on Monday acquitted an Al-Jazeera journalist sentenced to six months over a film that highlighted torture in Egyptian police stations but it still upheld a fine against her.

The court overturned Howayda Taha's May 2007 sentence but ordered her to pay 20,000 Egyptian pounds (3,600 dollars) for "possessing material containing untrue information" because she had filmed re-enactments of alleged torture.

Taha, who was not present for Monday's hearing, had been charged with "harming Egypt's national interest" and planning to air fabricated images.

Taha, an Egyptian who lives in Doha where Al-Jazeera is based, was briefly arrested on January 28 while she was working on a new film, this time about farm labourers.

Human...