Egypt issued a dressing down to the British ambassador in Cairo yesterday after he added his voice to a global chorus of criticism over the conviction of three Al Jazeera journalists on charges of “broadcasting false news”.
John Casson was summoned by officials from President Sisi’s administration and told that his comments were an unacceptable interference in Egypt’s judicial affairs. Mr Casson, a fluent Arabic speaker, had said outside a Cairo court that he was shocked and concerned by the verdict. He later posted the comment online, in English and Arabic, prompting outrage among many of his 28,000 Twitter followers.
Peter Greste, from Australia, Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian, and Baher Mohamed, from Egypt, were sentenced to three years in jail. They were detained in December