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<p>The British Government is appalled by the sentences given to Egyptian and international
journalists in Cairo on 23 June, two of whom were British Nationals. The Secretary
of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond
(Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement on 23 June expressing his concerns and urging
the Egyptian government to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression by
reviewing this case as a matter of urgency.</p><p>The Egyptian Ambassador, Ashraf
el-Kholy, was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 23 June. FCO
Political Director, Simon Gass, told the Egyptian Ambassador that the British Government
was deeply concerned by the verdicts, along with the procedural shortcomings seen
during the trials. There is provision for freedom of expression contained in the Egyptian
constitution and he asked that the Egyptian authorities review the sentences against
this standard.</p><p>The UK believes that a free and robust press is the bedrock of
democracy and we will continue to raise this case with the Egyptian authorities.</p>
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