Update: Kerry sends Egypt harshly worded message on Jazeera convictions

US Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement Monday harshly condemning today's conviction and sentencing of Al Jazeera English journalists, which came just a day after he visited Egypt and expressed support for its newly elected government.

Kerry called the court’s “chilling and draconian” ruling a setback for the country’s transition to democracy.

"As I shared with President Sisi during my visit to Cairo, the long-term success of Egypt and its people depends on the protection of universal human rights," Kerry said.

During his visit to Cairo, Kerry had assured Sisi that the United States would support his administration, and promised continued economic aid. In a press conference on Sunday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Kerry had said that 10 Apache helicopters would be delivered “very soon.”

Kerry exhorted Egypt’s government to “review all of the political sentences and verdicts pronounced during the last few years and consider all available remedies, including pardons.”

Following Kerry’s statement and a bevy of outraged reactions from across the world, Shoukry instructed Egyptian ambassadors worldwide to address the international condemnation of the verdict.

He ordered the ambassadors to meet with foreign affairs officials in their respective countries and present the prosecutor general’s statement on the ruling and other contentious issues surrounding the case.

Egypt’s judiciary “enjoys full independence,” the minister said, adding that the prosecutor’s statement outlines the details of the case and shows that the defendants were granted their due legal process.

“Regarding the summoning of some ambassadors abroad to comment on the verdict, it is considered an opportunity to present the statement issued by the office of the prosecutor general to avoid any inaccuracies or false conclusions that could undermine the independence of the judiciary,” Shoukry’s statement said, adding that “it also represents an opportunity to emphasize the complete rejection of any foreign interference in the country's internal affairs."

Earlier in the day, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop condemned the seven-year sentence handed to Australian journalist Peter Greste on Monday in a widely controversial verdict against Al Jazeera journalists.

In a press conference held immediately after the verdict, Bishop said that the decision undermines Egypt's transition to democracy: “To be a democracy you must respect freedoms.”

Mohamed Fahmy and Greste were both sentenced to seven years in jail for broadcasting false news and tarnishing Egypt’s reputation, while Mohamed Baher was sentenced to an additional three and a LE5,000 fine for possession of ammunition.

“We are all shocked by this verdict, including the [Australian] Prime Minister,” Bishop said. Although she maintained Australia respects the independence of the judiciary, she expressed concern that the verdict is part of an attempt to restrict media freedom.

Bishop said Australia’s foreign ministry would contact Egypt to see if intervention is possible to free Greste. While Australia respects the election results in Egypt, she said, it would still request intervention “at the highest levels.”

Reporters Without Borders ranks Egypt 159th out of 180 countries on the press freedom index. Earlier this month, the international organization urged President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to guarantee freedom of the press and information as well as release all detained journalists.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abott said in a press conference that he has done his best to relay to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that Greste “wasn’t taking sides, but was reporting on events he saw before him.”

Abott said that Greste has no interest in promoting the Muslim Brotherhood and was only providing his viewers of what he thought was the story of the day “because that’s what Australian journalists do.”

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans also said in a statement that he summoned the Egyptian ambassador to the ministry and will raise this matter with his European Union colleagues in Luxembourg, AFP reported.

Timmermans said that Dutch journalist Rena Netjes, who was handed a 10-year sentence in absentia, “did not get a fair trial.”

British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, posted on his Twitter account that the Egyptian Ambassador to London would be summoned to the Foreign Office on Monday in light of the verdict. Hague urged Egypt to review the “unacceptable sentences” against Egyptian and international journalists and show commitment to freedom of the press.

Following the verdict, Amnesty International issued a statement urging the international community to call on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to release the three political prisoners immediately. The human rights organization described the verdict as “a ferocious attack on media freedom,” and “a dark day for media freedom in Egypt.”

“This is a devastating verdict for the men and their families … when journalists are being locked up and branded criminals or ‘terrorists’ simply for doing their job,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa unit at Amnesty International. 

“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.” 

Luther described the trial as a “sham,” and the verdict 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,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mostafa Souag, Al Jazeera’s acting director general, described the verdict as “shocking” and “another step in a campaign of terrorizing people and terrorizing media.”

In an appearance on Al Jazeera, Souag said the prosecution was not able to produce a shred of evidence against the journalists and that they are professionals who were doing what they were supposed to do. Al Jazeera is “outraged and angry,” he said, vowing to continue the struggle to free the journalists. Souag said the network would move forward with the legal battle and international campaign because “this is a political, unjust verdict.”

Al Jazeera English’s Managing Director Al Anstey also released a statement saying the verdict “defies logic, sense, and any semblance of justice.”

“Today three colleagues and friends were sentenced, and will continue behind bars for doing a brilliant job of being great journalists. ‘Guilty’ of covering stories with great skill and integrity. ‘Guilty’ of defending people’s right to know what is going on in their world,” the statement read. Anstey said the only sensible outcome is for the verdict to be overturned, and justice to be realized in Egypt.