Egyptian journalists in Cairo court during tense trial

The head of Egypt's journalists' union and two board members stood trial in Cairo on Saturday, charged with spreading "false news" and harbouring reporters wanted by authorities.

Defendants and their supporters insist they are innocent and this is part of Egyptian regime efforts to silence critics and muzzle the media.

One defendant said their trial represented a government plan to create a "state of fear".

Union head Yahya Qalash, and board members Khaled el-Balshy and Gamal Abdel-Rahim, arrived at the Cairo court with some dozen defence lawyers led by former presidential candidate Khaled Ali.

In a ten-minute hearing, the defence requested a postponement to allow them time to study the case.

The defendants were greeted with chants of "Long live the struggle of journalists!" by about two dozen supporters when they came out of the courthouse.

Riot police backed by armoured vehicles watched over the crowd, AP reported.

Amnesty International condemned the case last week, describing it as part of a "draconian" crackdown on freedom of expression.

"We are dealing with a case that must be seen in the wider context of a society where there is an all-out attack on freedoms, closure of public sphere and efforts to establish a state of fear," Balshy, who heads the union's freedoms commission, told reporters.

The three were questioned for hours by prosecutors last Sunday. On Monday, they initially refused to post bail of 10,000 pounds ($1,100) each and were detained at a police station in central Cairo.

They were released the next day following their referral to trial and after bail was posted.

The move against the three came less than a month after Qalash called for the interior minister's resignation and a presidential apology over the arrest of two journalists wanted for inciting protests who had taken refuge inside the union's downtown headquarters.

Qalash later sought to defuse tensions, dropping his demand for a presidential apology and not repeating his demand for the minister to step down.