Paul Farrell theguardian.com, Thursday 30 January 2014
Christine Milne says Australian journalist who works for al-Jazeera is being held 'for no other reason than doing his job'
Australian journalist Peter Greste, who is being held in Cairo's Tora prison. Photograph: AAP
The Greens leader, Christine Milne, has called on the prime minister to stand up for imprisoned Australian journalist Peter Greste following an announcement that Egyptian authorities will lay charges against him and his colleagues.
Greste, who grew up in Brisbane, has been imprisoned in Cairo since 29 December along with his al-Jazeera colleagues Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed. Two other al-Jazeera journalists have been in detention for five months.
“I'm calling on Tony Abbott to make representations immediately on behalf of Australian journalist Peter Greste who is being held in Egypt for no other reason than doing his job as a journalist,” Milne said in a press conference on Thursday.
“It's important that countries stand up and say that freedom of the press is something that is valuable and must be protected.
“Come on, Tony Abbott, stand up for an Australian journalist held overseas. We need to uphold freedom of the press.”
Egyptian prosecutors announced on Thursday they would be charging 20 al-Jazeera journalists, including two Britons, an Australian and a Dutch citizen, with fabricating news and tarnishing Egypt's reputation.
Greste’s parents criticised the charges at a press conference on Thursday.
"This is most undeserved, outrageous and shameful. It's unbecoming of a great nation like Egypt, it's unbecoming of any civil society to behave like this," his father Juris Greste said.
"I don't want to mention the very obvious, but Lois and I have had the most harrowing, the most stressful and difficult four weeks of our lives.
"We've lived through tense moments in Peter’s career but this has been the most wearing. So if it appears we are not as coherent as we might be, please understand."
Lois Greste said they had last spoken to Peter a week ago at his last review, and were unable to speak to him at an appeal that was lodged on Wednesday night.
Al-Jazeera said in a statement: “The world knows these allegations against our journalists are absurd, baseless and false. This is a challenge to free speech, to the right of journalists to report on all aspects of events, and to the right of people to know what is going on.
“We will continue to pursue all avenues to get our journalists back, and are grateful for all the support we have received. It is clear this is not just al-Jazeera’s campaign, but one taken on by all freedom-loving people around the world.”
The statement said al-Jazeera was unaware that Egyptian authorities were pursuing any journalists other than the five already held in detention.
Greste is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and has been a foreign correspondent since 1991, working for the ABC, CNN, BBC and al-Jazeera. He won a Peabody award for a documentary on Somalia.
There has been widespread international condemnation of Egypt’s detention of journalists. Australia’s Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance also called on journalists to sign a petition for the release of the trio. US senator John McCain also called for the release of the journalists.
