LONDON/ANKARA
The conviction of three journalists in Egypt was widely condemned Monday, with U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague summoning the Egyptian ambassador to explain the case.
Al-Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohammed were sentenced to seven years in prison by an Egyptian court for "falsifying news" and belonging to or assisting the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Mohamed was sentenced to a further three years for possessing a bullet casing.
In a statement, Hague said he was "appalled" at the guilty verdicts given to a total of 20 journalists on trial. Two British journalists, Sue Turton and Dominic Kane, were sentenced to ten years in their absence.
Amnesty International’s Director of the Middle East and North Africa Philip Luther described the convictions as a "dark day for media freedom."
Hague said: "I am particularly concerned by unacceptable procedural shortcomings during the trial process, including that key prosecution evidence was not made available to the defense team. Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of a stable and prosperous society.
"We have repeatedly raised this case and the restrictions on freedom of expression in Egypt with President al-Sisi, the Egyptian foreign minister and wider authorities in Egypt.
"British ministers and diplomats will continue to urge the Egyptian government to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression by reviewing this case as a matter of urgency."
Greste, an Australian, Canadian-Egyptian Fahmy and Egyptian Mohamed were arrested on December 29 and accused of helping the Muslim Brotherhood, outlawed by the military regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. They were also accused of damaging Egyptian interests by publishing lies and providing equipment and information to Egyptian activists.
The journalists told the court they were covering protests organized by supporters of deposed president Mohammed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
In a statement from Amnesty, Luther said: "The only reason these three men are in jail is because the Egyptian authorities don't like what they have to say. They are prisoners of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released. In Egypt today anyone who dares to challenge the state’s narrative is considered a legitimate target."
Amnesty alleged several irregularities and "examples of complete ineptitude" during the trial.
In a statement, the group said the prosecution "failed to produce a single shred of solid evidence linking the journalists to a terrorist organization or proving they had 'falsified' news footage."
Luther added: "The trial was a complete sham. Consigning these men to years in prison after such a farcical spectacle is a travesty of justice.
"The Egyptian judiciary has proved time and time again that it is either unwilling or incapable of conducting an impartial and fair trial when it comes to those perceived to support the former president.
"Instead of locking up journalists and others perceived to pose a threat, the authorities should focus their efforts on conducting credible investigations into abuses by the security forces."
In a separate case, a court on Monday sentenced 78 supporters of ousted president Morsi to life imprisonment for murder and inciting violence in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura in August.
Egyptian authorities have waged a wide-ranging crackdown against members of the Muslim Brotherhood since July, when Morsi was ousted and imprisoned by the army.
www.aa.com.tr/en
