Al-Jazeera journalists spend a year in Egypt jail, await justice days ahead of appeal

Parents of Al-Jazeera English journalist Australian Peter Greste, Juris Greste, left, and Lois Greste, right, listen during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 29, 2014. A year after three Al-Jazeera English journalists were arrested in Egypt, they and their families are pleading for justice and an end to their ordeal. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Monday, March 31, 2014 file photo, Al-Jazeera English producer Baher Mohamed, left, Canadian-Egyptian acting Cairo bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy, center, and correspondent Peter Greste, right, appear in court along with several other defendants during their trial on terror charges, in Cairo, Egypt. A year after three Al-Jazeera English journalists were arrested in Egypt, they and their families are pleading for justice and an end to their ordeal. Egypt's Court of Cassation begins hearing their appeal on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015.(AP Photo/Heba Elkholy, El Shorouk, File) EGYPT OUT (The Associated Press)

Parents of Al-Jazeera English journalist Australian Peter Greste, Juris Greste, left, and Lois Greste, right, speak during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 29, 2014. A year after three Al-Jazeera English journalists were arrested in Egypt, they and their families are pleading for justice and an end to their ordeal. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (The Associated Press)

A year after three Al-Jazeera English journalists were arrested in Egypt, they and their families are pleading for justice and an end to their ordeal.

Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian acting bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohammed were arrested a year ago Monday in a case that has sent shock waves through the media in Egypt.

They were convicted of helping the Muslim Brotherhood, which the government branded a terrorist organization after their arrest, and sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison. They say they were prosecuted for simply doing their jobs as journalists, and rights groups called the trial a sham.

Egypt's Court of Cassation begins hearing their appeal on Thursday.

"It's a very anxious time," Greste's mother, Lois, told The Associated Press.