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Egypt: El-Sissi 'won't interfere' in Al-Jazeera case

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi insisted today that he would not interfere in court rulings condemning three Al-Jazeera journalists to seven years in prison.

The ruling, on unsubstantiated terrorism-related charges, stunned the journalists’ families and brought a landslide of condemnation and calls for President Sissi to intervene.

According to Egypt’s constitution, the president has the right to issue a pardon or commute the sentences. 

US, Australian and other governments’ officials had urged the Egyptian president to use this right to release the journalists immediately.

Rights groups have described the trial as a politically motivated sham reflecting the tense relations between Egypt and Qatar, which owns the station. Qatar has been a strong supporter of Islamists in the region and in particular of former president Mohammed Morsi.

Sounding a defiant tone, however, President Sissi maintained he had always said he would not interfere in judicial affairs and would respect the courts’ independence.

He said he had called the justice minister late on Monday to repeat that sentiment.

“I told him one word: We will not interfere in judicial matters because the Egyptian judiciary is an independent and exalted judiciary,” he told a military graduation ceremony. He also urged people to stop commenting on or criticising court rulings.

President Sissi said that to ensure respect for state institutions, there should be no interference in their affairs.

“If we desire strong state institutions we must respect court rulings and not comment on them even if others don’t understand these rulings,” he said.

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