An Egyptian court convicted three Al Jazeera journalists on charges of “aiding terrorists and endangering national security” on Monday, June 23.  Which means they are likely to spend the next seven to 10 years in prison.

Okay, some history please? That needs going back to last year. On December 30, 2013, Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were arrested from a five-star hotel in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on the charge of having links with the Muslim Brotherhood. Two more people were also rounded up. The arrest order stated that the journalists had set up a media network that was “tarnishing Egypt’s image abroad and harming its political position” at the behest of the Brotherhood.

Now, what is the Muslim Brotherhood? The Muslim Brotherhood is essentially an Islamist movement formed in Egypt in 1928. The new “democratic” government of Egypt doesn’t like the Brotherhood, as Mohammed Morsi – the previous president who was ousted to reinstate democracy in the country – is a member.

Is there any evidence to back the prosecution’s claims? Media reports mentioned that the prosecutors were supposed to present “fabricated footage aired by the defendants as evidence [that] they aimed to undermine Egypt’s security”. However, the actual evidence presented includes leaflets of the Arab protest, podcasts and reports (many of them not related to Egypt at all), and a pop video by the Australian singer Gotye. Additionally, “ammunition” (a shell) reportedly picked up by one of the accused as a souvenir was also used as evidence.

What next? All the three journalists have vehemently denied the charges against them. One of them reacted angrily when the judgment was pronounced, while another clenched his fist in defiance.  Relatives of the convicted journalists told reporters that they would appeal against the judgment. However, an appeal and subsequent action could take a long time.

Is the international community cool with the judgment?  No, not really. Different countries have shown varying levels of shock and displeasure. Australia (the home country of one of the journalists) has given a measured response. The Australian Foreign Minister ruled out any sanctions against Egypt but promised to pursue the case and secure Greste’s release “as soon as possible”. The White House said the development is a ”blow to democratic progress in Egypt”. The Canadian government released a statement saying it wants the Egyptian government to “protect the rights of all individuals, including journalists”. Egyptian PresidentAbdel-Fattah el-Sisi, however, has refused to intervene saying the “Egyptian judiciary is an independent and exalted judiciary”.

Is the world of journalism upset? Yes, totally. The New York Times kept the back page of its Sunday edition (June 23) blank with a simple message that read: “This is what happens when you silence journalists”.

Twitter, too, was abuzz with journalists across the world condemning the verdict.

Does this happen often – journalists being jailed for what they report?  Well, it’s not rampant but it does happen. There are as many as 167 imprisoned journalists across the world, according to the latest Reporters Without Borders report. China leads the pack with 32 journalists behind bars, followed by Eritrea (28) and Syria (16).

Here is a colour-coded map of the world depicting press freedom across countries. Incidentally, India falls in a category called “difficult situation” and is ranked 140^th in a list of 180 countries.