Highlighting the need for press freedom, journalists in 40 locations around the world staged vigils yesterday to express solidarity with the four Al Jazeera staff jailed in Egypt.
All staff of the Doha-based broadcaster also gathered in the newsroom for a silent protest.
The day of action began in Sydney, where a mixture of journalists, human rights activists and supporters of media freedom came together to call for the release of Peter Greste, an Australian citizen, and his three colleagues.
Greste, meanwhile, was elected chairman of Foreign Correspondents Association of East Africa in absentia.
In the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman, the face of the Yemeni uprising of 2011, joined journalists and rights activists to demand the their release.
Martyr’s Square in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, saw a big turnout of journalists and friends of the media, holding banners and posters saying, “Journalism is not a crime”.
Public events also took place in Manila, Islamabad, Amman, Nairobi, Ankara, Berlin, London, Rio, Montreal, Washington DC, Kabul and San Francisco.
“Al Jazeera hopes through the attention of the world’s media and partners, pressure can be brought to bear on the Egyptian authorities to hasten the release of Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Abdullah Al Shamy by reminding them in a united voice that journalism is not a crime,” the media network said in a statement on Wednesday.
Al Jazeera English correspondent Greste, an award-winning journalist, Egypt bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy, and producer Baher Mohamed were arrested from a hotel on December 29, and accused of spreading false news and belonging to a “terrorist group”.
They appeared in court for the first time on February 21, but their trial was then adjourned to March 5.
Abdullah Al Shamy from Al Jazeera’s Arabic channel has been detained for more than six months without any charges and has been on a hunger strike since January 23. Al Jazeera has rejected the charges against its staff.
Mostefa Souag, the acting general director of Al Jazeera Media Network, said: “We truly appreciate the solidarity from everybody right around the world. The pressure, support and calls for our colleagues to be released have continued to keep the story in the news.
“The global day of action is about the freedom of the press, it is about objective reporting and to ensure journalists cannot be gagged or silenced,” he added.
Freedom of speech in Egypt has been the focus of mounting global concern since the government adopted a hardline approach towards journalists. The country was ranked the third deadliest destination for journalists last year by the Committee to Protect Journalists.