Egyptian authorities have summoned the British ambassador to Egypt to discuss what it said was an “unacceptable interference in the provisions of the Egyptian judiciaryâ€. Ambassador John Casson made comments relating to the conviction of three al-Jazeera journalists.
John Casson was quoted by al-Bawaba English as saying that Egypt’s stability should not be built on a “shaky foundation which deprives people of their rights and undermines the freedom of the press and freedom of expressionâ€. The ambassador made the comment after attending a hearing on Saturday in which Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste were all sentenced to three years in jail for working as journalists without a press licence.
In a post on Facebook the Egyptian foreign ministry expressed its “strong objection†to Casson’s comments, describing them as an “incompatible with the norms of diplomatic practicesâ€.
The case of the convicted al-Jazeera journalists has been met with an international outcry and has raised questions over Egypt’s stated commitment to democracy.
