Al Jazeera cameraman acquitted in Cairo

Demonstrators hold placards with pictures of Al Jazeera Arabic network journalist Abdullah Al Shami who, along with cameraman Mohamed Badr, was detained in Egypt. The protesters called for their release as they gathered outside Egypt's embassy in London. File picture: Lefteris Pitarakis

Demonstrators hold placards with pictures of Al Jazeera Arabic network journalist Abdullah Al Shami who, along with cameraman Mohamed Badr, was detained in Egypt. The protesters called for their release as they gathered outside Egypt's embassy in London. File picture: Lefteris Pitarakis

Published Feb 3, 2014

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Cairo -

A Cairo court says it has acquitted a cameraman for the Qatar-based network Al Jazeera, after he was held for months on charges of committing acts of violence.

Mohamed Badr, a cameraman for Al Jazeera's channel in Egypt, was arrested following clashes in July. Egypt's semi-official media said on Sunday he was acquitted along with 61 others.

Badr's acquittal comes amid a wider crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, after the military's ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on July 3.

Al Jazeera journalists have been targeted for their coverage of Brotherhood protesters. Authorities have long depicted the network as pro-Brotherhood.

On Wednesday, Egypt said 20 journalists, including four foreigners working for Al Jazeera, will face trial on charges of joining or aiding a terrorist group and endangering national security. - Sapa-AP

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