Egypt has just seemingly recovered from its civil turmoil after Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was overthrown. Perhaps the country is still not ready for outsiders, based on what has happened to three journalists.

Three journalists from Al-Jazeera English, located in Doha Qatar, were sentenced to seven-to-10 years in an Egyptian prison for allegedly trying to destabilize the country and cavorting with Islamic extremists. International journalists and the global community are calling the whole situation unjust, while the White House has strong words for Egypt.

On July 23, sentencing was handed down to Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy, the acting Al-Jazeera English bureau chief and producer; Australian correspondent Peter Greste, and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed. The men were sentenced to seven years for aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Egyptian government has declared a terrorist organization after former President Morsi's military ouster, The Washington Post reported.

Fahmy, Greste, and Mohamed had been held in a Tora prison in Cairo, Egypt, along with other journalists since May. The presiding Judge, Mohammed Shehata, had convicted and sentenced the three journalists, citing from a 57-page document that there was footage of the journalists criticizing the current government, and that they showcased the current turmoil in Egypt after Morsi left.

There was also evidence to suggest that the journalists were conducting interviews with the families of those killed in the crackdown on Morsi supporters.

This verdict sent shock waves through the international community of journalists. The impact was so huge that reporters from all across the globe were asking that the newly elected president intervene, Fox Business reported. Even the defendants and the families of Fahmy, Greste and Mohamed, were stunned by the ruling.

"They will pay for this, I promise," Fahmy said, shouting angrily after the sentencing.

The guards had to remove the already injured Fahmy. While Fahmy was in the Tora prison, he claimed that his arm was bruised and beaten.

The supporters of the Al-Jazeera English journalists denounced the accusations, and some human rights groups called the trial a "sham." The defendants and Al-Jazeera denied the charges saying that they were charged for doing their jobs, reporting the news, The Washington Post reported.

Greste is an award-winning correspondent from Australia who just started working with Al-Jazeera English. He does not speak Arabic, so he relied on an interpreter during the trial. Greste, however, silently raised a clenched fist in defiance during the shocking and disrupted courtroom proceedings, Fox Business reported.

Meanwhile, back in Australia, Greste's father stated that he considered the court's decision to be "a slap in the face and a kick in the groin to Australia as well as all fair-minded people around the world."

The White House is calling on the Egyptian government to pardon these men, or at least commute their sentences which could allow them to be released as soon as possible.

While Fahmy and Greste were convicted and charged for seven years, Mohamed had three years added to his sentence because he possessed a spent bullet. The other foreign journalists who were not present in court received a 10-year sentence in absentia, The Washington Post reported. Twelve other co-defendants were also charged and convicted between seven and 10 years, and some of them were also absent.

However, under Egyptian law after the judge has released his reasoning for the sentencing, the defendants can appeal the verdicts before the Court of Cassation, which is the highest court of appeal in Egypt, The Washington Post reported.

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