Falana, Odumakin Want Detained Journalists Released

Renowned lawyer, Femi Falana and Human Rights campaigner, Joel Okei-Odumakin have called for the release of all detained Journalists in Cairo, Egypt.

Falana, Okei-Odumakin and the National Coordinator of Gender and Constitution Reform Network, GECORN, Abiola Akinyode-Afolabi said this through a joint statement they released today (Friday) in Lagos under a non governmental group, Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria, which comprises of Campaign for Democracy (CD) and Gender and Constitution Reform Network (GECORN).

It could be recalled that three Al-Jazeera journalist, Mohammed Fahmy, Peter Gresta and Baher Mohammed along with five Egyptian students have being in custody since December 2013, for allegedly belonging to or assisting a banned terrorist organisation in reference to Muslim Brotherhood on Cairo.

 * Detained Al-Jazeera journalists in Cairo, Egypt

According to the statement, the group said: "We condemned in strong terms the continued detention of the journalists since last year.

"We believe that their trial which resumed on 10 April this year was a vindictive and an attempt to subdue the voices of the innocent citizens in the conduct of legitimate work.

"Both regional and international human right instruments guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, which was affirmed by the African Charter for Human Rights and other United Nation human rights norms.

"Their continued detention is therefore inhuman, unjust, and nothing but an organised conspiracy by the state," the statement added.

The group therefore, called for the immediate release of the journalists with their charge drop and all acquitted.

Source: Legit.ng