George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Can I begin by acknowledging the close interest that Senator Kroger has taken in this matter in recent months. As senators will be aware, last night the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Mr Greste to seven years imprisonment on charges of 'spreading false news' and 'supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood'. The Australian government and people are dismayed and appalled that an internationally-respected journalist such as Mr Greste should have been convicted in such circumstances and should have imposed upon him such a severe sentence.

The government understands that Egypt has been through some very difficult times in recent years, but this kind of verdict and sentence does nothing to support Egypt's claims to be transitioning to democracy. The Australian government urges the new Egyptian government to reflect on what messages this sentence is sending to the international community.

On behalf of the government I want to acknowledge the swift and widespread outpouring of international sentiment after the verdict from governments, United Nations, European Union, NGOs, press associations and individuals. They include the comments of the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, who described the sentence as 'chilling and draconian'; the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillai, who described the charges as 'alarming' and the proceedings as 'a breach of international human rights law'; and the United Kingdom, Dutch and Latvian Foreign Ministers, among others. The common thread of all their remarks, which the Australian government joins with, is that freedom—in this case particularly freedom of the press—is fundamental to a democracy, and that Mr Greste has suffered a grievous injustice.