Egypt summons British ambassador over Al-Jazeera comments

CAIRO — Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the British ambassador over comments he made in court after a judge sentenced three Al-Jazeera English journalists to three years in prison each for reporting “false news.”

The ministry says it objects to John Casson’s comments, calling them “unacceptable interference” in the country’s judiciary.

Speaking to television cameras in Arabic after the verdict, Casson said he was concerned it 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, and were met with a wave of negative reaction in Arabic and English.

The court sentenced the three journalists on Saturday, sparking international outcry in the latest attack on free speech in the country.

— AP