Alwaght- Al Jazeera
English journalist Mohamed Fahmy has sought £64 M ($100 million) in
compensation due to Al-Jazeera negligence and breach of law.
This Egyptian-Canadian broadcaster spent over 400 days in a Cairo prison over
charges that he aided the Muslim Brotherhood, considered terrorist by the
Egyptian government.
During a press conference in Cairo, on 11May, Fahmy's lawyers,
Joanna Gislason and Gary Caroline said, they filed the lawsuit in the British
Columbia Supreme Court in Canada on May 5.
According to the lawsuit, the network's negligence led to Fahmy's
arrest and he is demanding £64 million in compensation for remedial damages.
Fahmy attorney Gislason said Monday in Cairo, "Mohamed Fahmy
is a professional journalist. He understands that there are risks of going into
the field. That's not what we are talking about here", adding, "Not
only did Al Jazeera fail to protect these journalists, it itself imperiled
them. Al Jazeera itself contributed to the harm that they suffered. It put them
in harm's way", WinniFreePress reported.
Fahmy believes, Qatari-funded network endangered him and his
colleagues, adding, "The network's negligence, and reprehensible conduct
led to arrests in 2013", noting, Al-Jazeera's high-handed and
reprehensible actions had landed him behind bars.
"A lot of the research I've done in prison and since I've been
out of prison has really added a lot of what I'm saying today in terms of
clearly stating that Al Jazeera Mubashir is not just biased; they are sponsors
of the Muslim Brotherhood", he
added, as CNN reported.
Now, I will sue them at any cost, and I will win," Fahmy told
a press conference, adding, “They don't seem to understand that they cannot
continue to challenge the sovereignty of governments, put the story ahead of
the safety of their employees, and assume that they will continue to get away
with it, the Independent reported.
Although Al Jazeera has denied his claims, it did not respond
Monday to requests for comment on Fahmy's lawsuit.
