US's Kerry harshly critical of verdict in Egypt NGO case

An Egyptian court's decision to give jail terms to 43 Americans, Europeans, Egyptians and other Arabs in a case against democracy-promotion groups runs counter to its transition to democracy, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday.

"The United States is deeply concerned by the guilty verdicts and sentences, including the suspended sentences, handed down by an Egyptian court today against 43 NGO representatives in what was a politically-motivated trial," Kerry said a written statement. "This decision runs contrary to the universal principle of freedom of association and is incompatible with the transition to democracy." (Reuters)