Foreign Secretary appalled by verdicts on journalists in Egypt
23 Jun 2014 03:49 PM
Foreign Secretary
appalled by an Egyptian court returning guilty verdicts against Egyptian and
international journalists.
Reacting to the verdict, Foreign
Secretary William Hague said:
I am appalled by the guilty
verdicts handed down today against Egyptian and international journalists in
Egypt. Amongst those found guilty were two British journalists, Sue Turton and
Dominic Kane, who were being tried in absentia. I am particularly concerned by
unacceptable procedural shortcomings during the trial process, including that
key prosecution evidence was not made available to the defence team. Freedom of
the press is a cornerstone of a stable and prosperous society.
We have repeatedly raised this
case and the restrictions on freedom of expression in Egypt with President Al
Sisi, the Egyptian Foreign Minister and wider authorities in Egypt. British
Ministers and diplomats will continue to urge the Egyptian Government to
demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression by reviewing this case as a
matter of urgency and I have instructed officials to summon the Egyptian
Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office today.
Further
information
Follow the Foreign Secretary on
twitter @WilliamJHague
Follow the Foreign Office on
twitter @foreignoffice
Follow the Foreign Office
on facebook and Google+