WASHINGTON
An Egyptian court's decision to sentence three Al-Jazeera journalists to seven years has been widely condemned by the international community, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry calling it “draconian.”
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.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the sentences one day after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi in Cairo, calling them “chilling” and “draconian.”
“Yesterday, President al-Sisi and I frankly discussed these issues and his objectives at the start of his term as President,” Kerry said in a statement released to the press. "I call on him to make clear, publicly, his government’s intention to observe Egypt’s commitment to the essential role of civil society, a free press, and the rule of law."
He further said that Egyptian authorities should “review all of the political sentences and verdicts pronounced during the last few years and consider all available remedies, including pardons.”
Kerry expressed the U.S.' concerns over the convictions and sentences during a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Monday.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also expressed his deep concern over the recent court decisions in Egypt, particularly the confirmation of death sentences for 183 people and the sentencing of journalists.
"Proceedings that clearly appear not to meet basic fair trial standards, particularly those resulting in the imposition of the death penalty, are likely to undermine prospects for long-term stability," the UN chief's spokesperson said in New York.
Ban stressed that participation in peaceful protests or criticism of the government should not be grounds for detention or prosecution.
In addition to the three Al-Jazeera journalists, the Egyptian court also tried 11 more people in absentia and handed them up to ten years of jail term. The 11 people included Dutch journalist Rena Netjes, Cairo correspondent for the Dutch daily Parool.
Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said that Egypt was acting contrary to the international obligations and Netjes did not get a fair trial.
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.
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