Egypt president says will not interfere in juridical rulings

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt's newly elected president has said he will not intervene over the jailing of three Al Jazeera journalists despite international condemnation, Sky News reported.

Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian national Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed were jailed for seven years each on Monday, June 23, for spreading false news and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mohamed received an additional three years on a separate charge involving possession of weapons. World leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and Australian PM Tony Abbott, have called on Cairo to review the case, which has been widely seen as being politically motivated.

But in a televised speech at a military graduation ceremony, Egypt's new leader, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, said: "We will not interfere in judicial rulings. We must respect judicial rulings and not criticize them even if others do not understand this."

Earlier Greste's parents described his seven-year sentence as "a slap in the face and a kick in the groin".

Speaking at a press conference in Brisbane alongside his wife Lois, Juris Greste said: "We're not usually a family of superlatives, but I have to say ... my vocabulary fails to convey just how shattered we are. You can never prepare yourself for something as painful as this."