International anger over Egyptian verdict against Al-Jazeera journalists

US Secretary of State John Kerry described on Monday the Egyptian Criminal Court’s decision to sentence three Al-Jazeera journalists to between seven to ten years in prison as “chilling and draconian”.

Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed have been imprisoned in Cairo since December on charges that include aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, spreading false news and endangering national security.

All the three journalists deny the charges. Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to seven years each, and Mohamed was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Six other journalists working for Al-Jazeera along with journalists from other news outlets were sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison. The international journalists include Sue Turton and Dominic Kane of Al-Jazeera, as well as Rena Netjes, a correspondent for Dutch newspaper Parool.

“Today’s conviction and chilling, draconian sentences by the Cairo Criminal Court of three Al-Jazeera journalists and fifteen others in a trial that lacked many fundamental norms of due process, is a deeply disturbing set-back to Egypt’s transition,” the Washington Post quoted Kerry’s statement as saying.

Kerry also urged Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi to consider “all available remedies, including pardons”.

After the ruling, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: “We are obviously shocked, dismayed, really bewildered.” He pledged to get Greste back home “swiftly.”

Sherif Abdelaziz Hussein, a senior Egyptian diplomat in Australia, was summoned to a meeting on Tuesday with acting Australian Foreign Affairs Secretary Gillian Bird, who expressed Australia’s anger at the seven-year sentence.

Canadian Minister of State Lynne Yelich said: “Canada is very disappointed with the verdict in the case of Mohamed Fahmy and is concerned that the judicial process that led to his verdict is inconsistent with Egypt’s democratic aspirations.” Fahmy holds a Canadian passport.

Britain and Holland also summoned their Egyptian ambassadors and discussed the verdicts against the journalists. UK’s Foreign Minister William Hague called the verdicts “unacceptable”.

However, the BBC reported on Tuesday that Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi, who led the coup last July against Mohamed Morsi, said that he would not “interfere” with the judiciary, which he described as independent.