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Al-Jazeera journalist accuses Germany of being manipulated by Egypt Al-Jazeera journalist accuses Germany of being manipulated by Egypt
(about 1 hour later)
The al-Jazeera journalist detained in Germany for three days on an Egyptian arrest warrant has accused the German government of allowing itself to be manipulated by the administration in Cairo. The al-Jazeera journalist who was detained in Germany for three days on an Egyptian arrest warrant has accused the Berlin administration of allowing itself to be manipulated by its counterpart in Cairo.
Ahmed Mansour, who was released on Monday without charge, told a Berlin press conference on Tuesday he still had not been told why he ended up on a German police wanted list and why he was arrested while trying to leave the country on Saturday. Ahmed Mansour, who was released on Monday without charge, told a press conference on Tuesday he still had not been told why he ended up on a German police wanted list and why he was arrested while trying to leave the country on Saturday.
“German government representatives allowed themselves to be instrumentalised by Cairo,” he said. He added that he regretted the fact that the Egyptian government had succeeded in “using some people in the German government for its own means”. “German government representatives allowed themselves to be instrumentalised by Cairo,” Mansour said. He added that he regretted the fact that the Egyptian government had succeeded in “using some people in the German government for its own means”.
He called on the German government to give answers about the incident, which saw him held at Berlin’s Tegel airport on Saturday, apparently at the behest of Egypt’s military regime. Mansour repeated his denial – and that of Interpol’s – that despite a German government spokesman saying on Monday that the arrest warrant had come via Interpol’s “red notice” system, no red notice actually exists against his name. He called on the German government to give answers about the incident, which saw him held at Berlin’s Tegel airport on Saturday, apparently at the behest of Egypt’s military regime. Mansour repeated his assertion – and that of Interpol – that despite a German government spokesman saying the arrest warrant had come via Interpol’s “red notice” system, no such notice exists against his name.
Related: Germany frees Al-Jazeera journalist Ahmed MansourRelated: Germany frees Al-Jazeera journalist Ahmed Mansour
The 52-year-old journalist is one of the most prominent presenters on al-Jazeera with a weekly programme that, according to him, attracts 14 million viewers worldwide. He said he feared the “dictatorial, oppressor regime” had managed to “export part of its dictatorship, its oppression and its judicial transgressions to Germany”.The 52-year-old journalist is one of the most prominent presenters on al-Jazeera with a weekly programme that, according to him, attracts 14 million viewers worldwide. He said he feared the “dictatorial, oppressor regime” had managed to “export part of its dictatorship, its oppression and its judicial transgressions to Germany”.
Mansour said it was up to German journalists to work out whether there was a connection between Egyptian president Abdel Fatah-al-Sisi’s state visit earlier this month and his arrest.Mansour said it was up to German journalists to work out whether there was a connection between Egyptian president Abdel Fatah-al-Sisi’s state visit earlier this month and his arrest.
During the visit, the German industrial group Siemens signed an €8bn (£5.7bn) deal with Egypt to supply gas- and windpower plants. During the visit, the German industrial group Siemens signed an €8bn (£5.7bn) deal with Egypt to supply gas and windpower plants.
Mansour, who holds dual Egyptian and British citizenship but said he always travelled on his British passport, said he was grateful to his German lawyers and the German judiciary for preventing his extradition to Egypt, praising in particular Germany’s chief prosecutor, Harald Range, who resisted pressure to keep Mansour in detention. Mansour, who holds dual Egyptian and British citizenship but always travels on his British passport, said he was grateful to his German lawyers and the judiciary for preventing his extradition to Egypt, praising in particular the chief prosecutor, Harald Range, who resisted pressure to keep Mansour in detention.
Last year, Mansour was convicted in absentia by an Egyptian court for torturing a lawyer in Tahrir Square in 2011 and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Mansour has rejected the charges. Last year, Mansour was convicted in absentia by an Egyptian court of torturing a lawyer in Tahrir Square in 2011 and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He has rejected the charges.
But his lawyers said they had a “burning interest” to find out how it was that their client was arrested in the first place. “There is much need for answers,” one of his lawyers, Patrick Teubner, said, adding that it remained puzzling how an “obviously politically motivated manhunt” by the Egyptian judiciary “could have had any validity in Germany”. His lawyers said they had a “burning interest” to find out why their client was arrested in the first place. “There is much need for answers,” Patrick Teubner said, adding that it remained puzzling how an “obviously politically motivated manhunt” by the Egyptian judiciary “could have had any validity in Germany”.
Mansour, who denies any connection to the Muslim Brotherhood al-Jazeera has been accused of supporting, said he had had no problems on two visits to Germany earlier this year. Mansour, who denies any connection to the Muslim Brotherhood, which al-Jazeera has been accused of supporting, said he had had no problems on two visits to Germany earlier this year.
He was returning to Doha this evening, he said, where he planned to present his weekly programme Bela Hodod (Without Frontiers). He would return to Germany in the near future to discuss the incident with German politicians, he added. He was travelling on Tuesday evening to Doha, where he planned to present his weekly programme Bela Hodod (Without Frontiers). He would return to Germany in the near future to discuss the incident with politicians, he added.
Mansour also said the Sisi government, which came into power in 2013, “hates the free press and as I speak to you, there are currently more than 70 Egyptian journalists currently being held in prison for speaking the truth”. Mansour said the Sisi government, which came into power in 2013, “hates the free press and, as I speak to you, there are currently more than 70 Egyptian journalists currently being held in prison for speaking the truth”.