Australian journalist Peter Greste, 49, has been found guilty by a court in Cairo and sentenced to seven years in jail.
His two colleagues — Al Jazeera bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy and producer Baher Mohamed — were also found guilty and sentenced to seven and 10 years’ jail respectively.
The three were accused of conspiring to falsify news to defame Egypt and collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood. They, along with 17 other defendants tried with them, have appeared in cages in court during their trial.
The nature of the evidence presented by the prosecutors has triggered international outrage, and there was uproar in the courtroom as the sentences were handed down yesterday, the ABC reports.
Foreign minister Julie Bishop said last night that the Federal government was “deeply dismayed” by the sentence.
“The Australian government is shocked at the verdict in the Peter Greste case. We are deeply dismayed by the fact that a sentence as been imposed. We are appalled by the severity of it”, she said tonight.
“It is hard to credit that court in this case could have reached this conclusion.”
She said the government would take steps to “gain some kind of intervention from the new government”.
“I have spoken at length with Peter Greste’s parents. They are considering their legal options, including appeal options,” she said.
“We do not know how long an appeal process will take, but in the meantime, we will provide whatever consular assistance we can.”
The trial has garnered widespread media coverage, including a social media campaign which saw #FreeAJStaff trending around the world.
Click through our gallery of #FreeAJStaff images and continue to spread the message in the hope that we can free the men — because journalism is not a crime.
Our thoughts are with Greste, his colleagues and his loved ones.
What did you think of the sentence?
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