US says horrified Al-Jazeera journalist punishment

The lawyer for Al-Jazeera English correspondent Peter Greste says his three-year jail sentence in Egypt is “unjust” and “plainly political.” Greste was sentenced on Saturday, along with producer Baher Mohammed and acting Cairo bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy, to three years in prison. The men were arrested in December 2013 but Greste, an Australian citizen, was deported in February. In a statement, Greste’s lawyer Chris Flynn, says the men’s re-trial, “was a sham and was miscarried at every step.”

Flynn appealed to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to intervene and pardon the men, saying that el-Sissi, “now has an opportunity to correct this great injustice.” ___ 3:25 p.m. Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop says she is “dismayed” by the three-year jail sentences handed to three Al-Jazeera English journalists in Egypt. The three men include correspondent Peter Greste, an Australian citizen, who was deported from Egypt in February. In a statement issued by the ministry on Saturday, Bishop says she has spoken with Greste and will “continue to pursue all diplomatic avenue with my Egyptian counterpart” to clear Greste’s name. ___ 2:35 p.m.

Al-Jazeera officials have vowed to free its imprisoned journalists in Egypt after a judge sentenced three of them to three-year prison sentences. Giles Trendle, Al-Jazeera English’s acting managing director, made the comments Saturday in a short televised news conference from the satellite news network’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar. Trendle called the ruling “a dark day for the Egyptian judiciary” and said the network had “comprehensibly debunked” the claims laid out in Judge Hassan Farid’s verdict.

Trendle said the network would “continue and escalate our campaign” to free the imprisoned journalists. He also added: “Journalism is not a crime.” ___ 2:25 p.m. Britain’s Middle East Minister, Tobias Ellwood, says he is “deeply concerned” by the sentences handed to the three Al-Jazeera English journalists in Egypt. Ellwood said Saturday: “These sentences will undermine confidence in Egypt’s progress towards strong long-term stability based on implementing the rights granted by the Egyptian constitution.” He added: “We have repeatedly raised this case and the restrictions on freedom of expression in Egypt with ministers and senior officials. We note that the case can be appealed, and will monitor future developments closely.

” He also urged Egyptian authorities to “take urgent action to resolve the position of the two British nationals in this case.” Britons Sue Turton and Dominic Kane are among several Al-Jazeera journalists convicted in absentia by Egyptian courts.