Peter Greste case: Australian journalist to be moved to new prison as Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says he will not interfere in judicial verdicts

Updated

Australian journalist Peter Greste is expected to be moved to a different prison in Egypt as he begins a seven-year jail term.

Greste's brothers visited him at Cairo's Tora prison complex overnight and said they found him to be "remarkably together".

But any hopes of a presidential pardon appear to have been dashed, with Egypt's newly elected president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi saying he will not interfere with judicial verdicts.

Greste and two Al Jazeera colleagues were convicted on charges of spreading false news and supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood - charges they strongly denied - amid chaotic scenes in Cairo on Monday.

Greste and Mohamed Fahmy were sentenced to seven years in jail, while Baher Mohamed was sentenced to an extra three years for being in possession of a bullet.

Mr Sisi's announcement means a legal appeal is the only hope for the Australian.

The verdicts and sentences sparked an international outcry, but Mr Sisi said Egypt's authorities would respect the independence of the judiciary.

"We will not interfere in judicial rulings," he said in a televised speech at a military graduation ceremony.

"We must respect judicial rulings and not criticise them even if others do not understand this."

Mr Sisi was elected last month, less than a year after removing Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Brotherhood, following mass protests against his rule.

The Brotherhood, which says it is a peaceful organisation, was banned and declared a terrorist group after Morsi was toppled.

Greste's family described the news that the president would not step in as heartbreaking.

His two brothers Andrew and Mike learnt of the news after visiting Greste in prison for the first time since his sentence was handed down.

"That's probably not the greatest news," Andrew Greste told the ABC. "We won't give up the fight."

Andrew said he had been amazed at his brother's resilience inside the Tora jail.

"He was remarkably together, it's unbelievable really," he said.

Greste will now be moved to a different prison in the Tora complex and his family visits will be cut from one a week to one a fortnight.

In a letter written from the Tora jail in January this year, Greste described it as "a sprawling complex in the south of the city where the authorities routinely violate legally enshrined prisoners' rights, denying visits from lawyers, keeping cells locked for 20 hours a day (and 24 hours on public holidays) and so on".

Greste's emotional parents, Juris and Lois Greste, yesterday said they were still considering whether to appeal against their son's sentence.

"I know Peter is being very, very strong," his mother Lois said.

"This will be a hard time for him, but I know that he will get through it."

Abbott says Government 'shocked and dismayed by decision'

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten spoke about Peter Greste's sentencing before Question Time in Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Abbott said the Government "respects the legitimacy" of the Egyptian legal system "but we are shocked and dismayed by the Greste decision".

"I want to assure the House that the Australian Government will continue to make intercessions at every level with the Egyptian government and elsewhere to try to ensure that Peter Greste and his colleagues are swiftly released," he said.

Mr Shorten said the Opposition would support the Government's efforts.

"We will do what we can to assist and I also recognise that for all our fine words Peter Greste is still in jail in Egypt," he said.

"The real challenge is to bring him home."

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Abbott said he did not want to engage in "megaphone diplomacy".

"There are options for presidential acts, presidential clemency, presidential pardons and so on, so that's why I'm not in the business of being critical of the government as such," he said.

"What I want to do is ensure that we get the best possible outcome, not only because that's right for Peter Greste, but because in the long run that's best for Egypt as well."

Egypt's foreign ministry released a statement saying it "strongly rejects any comment from a foreign party that casts doubt on the independence of the Egyptian judiciary and the justice of its verdicts".

"The foreign ministry once again affirms that any interference in its internal affairs is rejected ... and this is what the foreign minister confirmed in several contacts with international parties recently."

Egyptian officials have said the case is not linked to freedom of expression and the journalists raised suspicions by operating without proper accreditation.

ABC/Reuters

Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, egypt, australia

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