The Egyptian President says he will not intervene in the case of three international journalists jailed in Cairo.
The newly elected leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says he will not interfere in judicial rulings which he says must be respected.
Australian journalist Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian national Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed were convicted of spreading false news and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
Mr. Mohamed received an additional three years on a separate charge involving possession of weapons.
Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed | Image: Al-Jazeera
World leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, have called on Cairo to review the case, which has been widely seen as being politically motivated.
But in a televised speech at a military graduation ceremony, Egypt's new leader said "We will not interfere in judicial rulings. We must respect judicial rulings and not criticise them even if others do not understand this".
A minute silence has been held by journalists in London in support of the staff.
They were sentenced to at least seven years each after being accused of aiding terrorists.
Al-Jazeera staff stand in solidarity live on air for one minute | Image: Al Jazeera PR
The parents of one of them have described the Egyptian authorities' decision as 'a slap in the face and a kick in the groin'.
Earlier Mr. Greste's parents described his seven-year sentence as "a slap in the face and a kick in the groin".
Speaking at a press conference in Brisbane alongside his wife Lois, Juris Greste said "We're not usually a family of superlatives, but I have to say...my vocabulary fails to convey just how shattered we are. You can never prepare yourself for something as painful as this".
Lois Greste says they are shocked and devastated by the decision.
The case has provoked outrage from freedom of speech activists, who say it was politicised, while the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on international governments to help.
The White House called for pardons or sentence commutations for the journalists and for clemency in all politically motivated sentences. Relatives of the men - who had denied all the allegations against them in Cairo - collapsed in tears as the sentences were read out.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was "shocked and deeply dismayed" by the outcome and would ask the Egyptian government to intervene.
Her British counterpart, William Hague, said he would also ask Cairo to review the case "as a matter of urgency". The Egyptian ambassador to London was summoned to the UK Foreign Office yesterday following the sentencing.
