The Stream

#FreeAJStaff reignites after Egyptian court verdict

Journalists and Twitter users react to sentencing of jailed Al Jazeera staff in Egypt.

The world reacted to the verdict given to jailed Al Jazeera staff in Egypt by reigniting use of #FreeAJStaff on Twitter. Egyptian authorities sentenced two Al Jazeera English staff members to seven years in prison and another staffer to ten years on charges that included aiding the Muslim Brotherhood and reporting false information.

Journalists around the world using #FreeAJStaff criticised the verdict. The hashtag jumped to 50,000 tweets after the verdict was announced.