Thursday’s decision followed the third hearing for Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian who was the network’s acting bureau chief , and Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian producer.
The prosecution’s case, which hinged on the technical expertise of several state TV witnesses and the two security officers, appeared to collapse under cross-examination during Thursday’s court session, and the presiding judge ordered the formation of a new technical committee.
‘This is a victory for us and a step towards exonerations,’ Fahmy said following the session.
Members of the technical committee, formed by the first trial’s judge, said they were unable to recall much at all about the videos they allegedly viewed before signing individual statements claiming the footage harmed Egypt’s national security. They even admitted to a shocked-looking judge that they had not seen all the videos.