John Kerry calls Al Jazeera conviction "a deeply disturbing set-back to Egypt's transition." Full statement: pic.twitter.com/XI8A0G9EEV
— Michael Calderone (@mlcalderone) June 23, 2014
Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement on the conviction of Al Jazeera’s journalists in Egypt calling the convictions and sentences “chilling” and “deeply disturbing”, but still plans to try and position the US government closer to the military junta now running Egypt. The journalists at Al Jazeera were convicted of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood and reporting false news which led to sentences of up to ten years for some of the journalists.
The Egyptian government, now in the hands of military leadership whom recently staged an election to legitimize their rule, has targeted journalists as well as democratic activists in its effort to consolidate power after criminalizing the Muslim Brotherhood and couping out former elected President Mohammad Morsi. The Egyptian Military is firmly in command once again turning the “revolution” that occurred previously in Egypt on its head. The revolution is lost.
Despite Secretary Kerry’s strong words against criminalizing journalism by the junta he has committed himself to trying to get closer to the new regime.
After a 90-minute meeting with Mr. Sisi, Mr. Kerry said at a news conference here that he had come to reaffirm Washington’s “historic partnership” with Egypt. “We want to see the people of Egypt succeed,” he said, and so he and Mr. Sisi had discussed, “most importantly, our mutual determination for our countries to work together in partnership.”
Mr. Kerry expressed firm confidence that the United States would soon fully restore $650 million — the first tranche of the $1.3 billion in annual aid — to the military that the Obama administration had partly withheld after the takeover.
That makes sense right? That’s how you show you disapprove of something, by rewarding it. I am very unhappy about your tyrannical behavior, here is a billion dollars in aid I know you and your friends will steal to show you I mean business.
The hypocrisy is off the charts.
Though it seems with other US supported strong men falling in places like Iraq those “historic partnerships” are all the more important. Because state terrorism is the kind of terrorism America can support, if for no other reason than it participates in it as well.
