US president Barack Obama has backed calls to release Australian journalist Peter Greste who has been detained in Egypt for more than a month.
Greste is accused of trying to tarnish Egypt's image by broadcasting false information.
The 48-year-old award-winning Al Jazeera reporter was arrested in a Cairo hotel along with colleagues Mohamed Adel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed on December 29.
The trio had been reporting on the political turmoil in Egypt when they were taken into custody and accused of holding meetings with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the nation's leaders have declared a terrorist organisation.
The White House has urged the Egyptian government to drop all charges against the three men and release them.
"The restrictions on freedom of expression in Egypt are a concern, and that includes the targeting of Egyptian and foreign journalists and academics simply for expressing their views," president Barack Obama's spokesman Jay Carney said.
"These figures, regardless of affiliation, should be protected and permitted to do their jobs freely in Egypt."
Greste used to work for the BBC and won the prestigious Peabody Award in 2011 for a documentary on Somalia.
Fahmy is a well-known journalist in Cairo who previously worked with CNN.
Greste is accused of trying to tarnish Egypt's image by broadcasting false information.
The 48-year-old award-winning Al Jazeera reporter was arrested in a Cairo hotel along with colleagues Mohamed Adel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed on December 29.
The trio had been reporting on the political turmoil in Egypt when they were taken into custody and accused of holding meetings with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the nation's leaders have declared a terrorist organisation.
The White House has urged the Egyptian government to drop all charges against the three men and release them.
"The restrictions on freedom of expression in Egypt are a concern, and that includes the targeting of Egyptian and foreign journalists and academics simply for expressing their views," president Barack Obama's spokesman Jay Carney said.
"These figures, regardless of affiliation, should be protected and permitted to do their jobs freely in Egypt."
Greste used to work for the BBC and won the prestigious Peabody Award in 2011 for a documentary on Somalia.
Fahmy is a well-known journalist in Cairo who previously worked with CNN.
Source: Top News in Hindi
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