Eygpt Summons UK Envoy Casson Over Aljazeera Verdict Remarks

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the British ambassador John Casson over comments he made on a court’s decision to hand down prison sentences to three Al Jazeera journalists, state television has reported.

The Cairo court sentenced Egyptian Baher Mohamed and Canadian Mohamed Fahmy to three years in prison while Australian Peter Greste was sentenced in absentia.

Speaking in Arabic after the verdict, Casson said he was concerned the sentencing could “undermine confidence in the basis of Egypt’s stability, both in Egypt and abroad.”

The comments were posted on the British embassy’s Facebook page.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson for the ministry, tweeted on Sunday that the ministry rejected any foreign criticism of the legal system, calling them an “unacceptable intrusion” in the country’s judiciary.

Comments

comments