Egypt has announced that 20 journalists, including Australian Peter Greste, face trial on terror charges.
(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
Greste is one of four foreigners in the group, the other 16 being Egyptian nationals.
Egypt's public prosecutor says the journalists are accused of harming the country's national interest in their work for the Qatar (cutter) -based television network, Al Jazeera.
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48-year-old Greste is an acclaimed journalist who formerly worked for the BBC, and has been charged alongside two Britons and a Dutch national.
According to Al Jazeera, Greste was detained in Egypt's capital Cairo on December 29 along with two other journalists.
The public prosecutor says they had published what he called called lies that harmed Egypt's national interest, and supplied money, equipment and information to the 16 other defendants, who are all Egyptian.
The four foreigners also accused of using unlicensed broadcasting equipment.
The 16 Egyptians are to face trial for belonging to a terrorist organisation, an apparent reference to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood was declared a terrorist organisation and banned in Egypt after the army deposed the country's former President, Mohammed Morsi, in July.
Peter Greste's father Juris, says the charges against the Al Jazeera journalists have no basis.
"Someone didn't like their report. For that they are now put into a maximum security prison for what is clearly punishment. Not mere detention. This is most undeserved, outrageous and shameful. It's unbecoming of a great nation like Egypt."
Peter Greste's mother Lois says she has had little communication with her son since he was placed in solitary confinement in Cairo's maximum security Tora prison.
"He seems to be holding up well, but there seems to be no communication. Communication is not working."
Lois Greste says Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has spoken with Egypt's military-installed government about her son's detention.
"Julie Bishop had a long phone call with the Egyptian Prime Minister and I think you might like to ask her the details of that call. But we get reports, as far as the DFAT people are concerned, we get fairly good reports in they tell us as much as they possibly can. So we are very satisfied with what the Australian government is doing."
However, Australian Greens leader Christine Milne has called on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to do more.
"We really need to make sure that the Egyptians hear the message loud and clear, and that is: You have to have a free flow of information. That journalistic freedom is part of what being a democratic society is about. And if you are going to aim for global respect as a nation, you have to respect the rights of journalists."
Egyptian authorities have long depicted Al-Jazeera as biased towards Mr Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Al Jazeera's Cairo offices have been closed since July 3 when security forces raided them hours after the army ousted Mr Morsi following mass protests against his rule.
Qatar was a strong financial backer of Egypt during Mr Morsi's year in power and the Gulf Arab state has vehemently criticised his overthrow and the ensuing crackdown on the Brotherhood.
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