Amal Clooney threatened with prison in Egypt
Amal Clooney has been threatened with arrest by Egyptian officials after pointing out flaws in Egypt's justice system.
The human rights lawyer, who married American actor George Clooney in September, represents one of three journalists convicted of broadcasting false news and tarnishing Egypt's reputation in collusion with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Mrs Clooney co-authored a report pointing out flaws in Egypt's justice system, which was deemed so controversial she was at risk of being arrested.
"When I went to launch the report, first of all they stopped us from doing it in Cairo," Mrs Clooney said.
"They said, 'Does the report criticise the army, the judiciary, or the government?' We said, 'Well, yes.' They said, 'Well then, you're risking arrest.'"
The report examines the extent to which Egypt's government uses their power to influence judges and state prosecutors.
It recommends that hand-picking of judges should stop.
"That recommendation wasn't followed, and we've seen the results of that in this particular [Al-Jazeera] case where you had a hand-picked panel led by a judge who is known for dispensing brutal verdicts," she told The Guardian.
A retrial of the three journalists Fahmy, the Doha-based broadcaster's Egyptian-Canadian bureau chief; Australian journalist Peter Greste; and Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian freelance producer was ordered by an Egyptian court on Thursday.
