DEAR ALJAZEERA STAFF.....

Dear Peter, Mohammed and Baher,

Today is Christmas Day 2014. I'm at home with my lovely husband Don and my two gorgeous, cuddly cats. There is a Christmas tree twinkling in the corner. There are gifts underneath. We are eating chocolate, drinking tea and watching AlJazeera. And we are thinking of you all. 

We know you will be in jail in Egypt this Christmas. And it makes us very, very sad.

The way you have been treated by the Egyptian justice system is so unfair. You were doing your job, nothing more and nothing less than that. You were obeying the basic principle of journalism, telling the truth. And for doing that you were sent to prison and denied the chance to be with your families. 

We never believed that any of you deserved to be jailed. We all know the crimes you were accused of were non-existent and as for the trial....don't even get me started.

When you were handed your sentences I couldn't understand what you were being jailed for and, to be honest,  I still can't.  

I want you to know that we have not been silent. Your families, friends, colleagues, journalists and non-journalists alike, have been shouting and fighting for your release. And we will keep doing it! We will tweet #FREEAJSTAFF and #JournalismIsNotACrime until our fingers bleed. We will continue our protests. My husband and I will continue to wear our #FREEAJSTAFF shirts in public to let the world know we stand by you, wish for your release and that we have not forgotten you. You are in our thoughts everyday, but especially now.

I hope you are released soon and as I try to pursue my own career in journalism  I will shout even louder on your behalf. 

Please keep your spirits up and stay brave. Whenever you feel scared or frustrated at the injustice we believe you have been served, remember that there are people all over the world speaking for you.

In the future you will be back to doing what you do best: speaking the truth via your journalism.

Until then, I will do what I do best: speak up for those - like yourselves - who have virtually no voice via my blogging and tweeting and shouting.

On 29th December 2014, on the anniversary of your arrest, we will be stood outside the Egyptian Embassy in London doing what we have been doing for the last year: Calling for justice and for your release.

We hope by this time next year you will be free again. Until then, chin up and keep smiling! 

Love and good wishes to you all! 

Terry and Don X