Al-Jazeera Journalists Jailed For Three Years

Three Al-Jazeera journalists have been sentenced to three years in jail by judges at a court in Egypt.

Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohammed and Peter Greste were sentenced at a retrial for "spreading false news" and other offences.

Fahmy, a Canadian, and Mohammed, an Egyptian, were in court, but Greste, an Australian, had been deported to Australia in February.

Immediately after the ruling, Fahmy's wife, Marwa, began crying. Others sobbed loudly.

Judge Hassan Farid said he jailed the three in part because they weren't registered with the country's journalist syndicate.

He explained that the journalists brought equipment without the approval of security officials into Egypt.

The three also spread "false news" and used a hotel as a broadcasting point without permission, the judge added.

After the verdict, Greste tweeted: "Shocked. Outraged. Angry. Upset. None of them convey how I feel right now.

"3 yr sentences for @bahrooz, @MFFahmy11 and me is so wrong."

He told Al-Jazeera, from Sydney, that he believed an Egyptian appeals court would overturn the verdict.

Al-Jazeera English acting director-general Mostefa Souag said the sentence "defies logic and common sense".

"The whole case has been heavily politicized and has not been conducted in a free and fair manner," Mr Souag said.

"There is no evidence proving that our colleagues in any way fabricated news or aided and abetted terrorist organisations and at no point during the long drawn out retrial did any of the unfounded allegations stand up to scrutiny."

Amnesty International condemned the sentences, calling them the "death knell for freedom of expression in Egypt."

Amal Clooney, wife of actor George Clooney, represented Fahmy in court.

Outside court, she called for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al Sisi to quash the sentences and convictions.

The case began in December 2013, when Egyptian security forces raided the upscale hotel suite used by Al-Jazeera to report from Egypt.

Authorities arrested Fahmy, Greste and Mohammed, later charging them with allegedly being part of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood, an Islamist movement, had been declared a terrorist organisation by authorities and the three were accused of airing falsified footage.

Al-Jazeera and the journalists denied the allegations, saying they were simply reporting the news.

The three men were convicted on 23 June, 2014, with Greste and Fahmy sentenced to seven years in prison and Mohammed to 10 .

The verdict brought a landslide of international condemnation.

The country's highest appeals court, later ordered their retrial, saying the initial proceedings were marred by violations of the defendants' rights.

Egypt deported Greste in February, though he remained charged in the case. Fahmy and Mohammed were later released on bail.