The verdict, in a retrial, was issued against six Al Jazeera Staff, including three journalists: Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy, Egyptian Baher Mohamed and Australian Peter Greste.
The verdict caused immediate public controversy and has stoked an international outcry among media outlets and advocacy groups.
Shortly after the verdict was handed down, UK ambassador to Egypt John Casson stated that the country's stability should not be built on a "shaky foundation which deprives people of their rights and undermines the freedom of the press and freedom of expression."
"Foreign Ministry summoned… Casson [Sunday] morning to express its strong objection to his remarks…. which are incompatible with the norms of diplomatic practices to the Ambassador accredited in a foreign country, as his mission is to build closer relations with the host country," the ministry's statement published on Facebook read.
In 2013, the three journalists were arrested in Egypt while documenting the unrest following the overthrow of then-president Mohamed Morsi. Later, the reporters were accused, charged, and found guilty of allegedly aiding a terrorist organization reported to have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, a political and religious movement represented by Morsi.
Initially, Greste and Fahmy received seven years behind bars, while Mohamed was given 10 years. Earlier this year, an appeals court ordered a retrial, as the first verdict was made on little evidence.
