Egypt sentences 2 journo to death

An Egyptian court handed down death sentences to six people, including two Al Jazeera journalists, for alleged spying.

The six, along with former President Mohammed Morsy and his aides, were accused of leaking state secrets to Qatar.

The court ruled Saturday in support of a verdict ratified by Egypt’s religious leaders in the case dubbed the ‘Qatar spying case.’

In addition to the two former employees of the Qatar-based network, a reporter for Rasd media channel was also among those convicted. The journalists were tried in absentia.

The journalists are former director of news at Al Jazeera’s Arabic channel, Ibrahim Mohammed Helal; former Al Jazeera producer Alaa Omar Mohammed Sablan; and Asmaa Mohammed al-Khatib, a reporter for Rasd.

Three other defendants were also sentenced to death and remain in custody.

They are documentary filmmaker Ahmed Ali Abdo Afifi, EgyptAir flight attendant Mohammed Adel Hamed Keilani and university teaching assistant, Ahmed Ismail Thabet Ismail.