Egypt releases two Al-Jazeera journalists on bail

An Egyptian judge yesterday ordered the release on bail of a pair of Al-Jazeera English journalists being retried on terror-related charges, bringing cheers from their families who have sought to get them out of detention for more than a year and are hoping for a resolution in the case.

The prosecution of the journalists, who were convicted by a lower court after a trial that has been widely dismissed as a sham, has brought heavy international criticism on Egypt.

Two weeks earlier, a third defendant - Australian Peter Greste - was deported, a step widely seen as a signal that authorities want to find a face-saving way to end the controversy.

His co-defendant, Mohammed Fahmy, is also seeking deportation. He renounced his Egyptian citizenship to be eligible for deportation to Canada, where he also holds citizenship. But the judge yesterday didn't address the issue, instead ordering Fahmy to post the equivalent of US$33,000 in bail. No other defendant was ordered to post bail. Judge Hassan Farid adjourned the trial until February 23.

A third defendant, Baher Mohammed, holds no foreign citizenship and is not eligible for the deportation option.