In addition to Kerry, a number of Members of Congress have issued statements. Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), called the decision “another assault on Egyptian civil society” and called for President Morsi to “immediately reverse course.” Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, said the verdict is “appalling and is a wholly politically motivated decision that has no roots in the rule of law,” adding, “This is yet another in a long line of incidents that should give the United States cause to reevaluate our assistance to Egypt. “
Numerous NGOs have also issued statements condemning the decision. The International Republican Institute called the verdict “a politically motivated effort to squash Egypt’s growing civil society, orchestrated through the courts, in part by Mubarak-era hold overs” and that it “will pursue all avenues to challenge today’s verdict.” The National Democratic Institute was “shocked and deeply distressed,” and said, “Those wrongfully convicted were ultimately the victims of an intergovernmental dispute between the U.S. and the then-Egyptian government.” Freedom House called the convictions a “disgrace,” labeling them a part of a “government-led witch-hunt intended to strangle civil society activity and limit free expression in post-revolutionary Egypt.” The International Center for Journalists “deplored” the decision that “aims to appease public opinion.”