The Twisted Cairo al-Jazeera Verdict, in Pictures

The nine photos that stood out most to us from or about the travesty yesterday.

1. Interlinked, the portrait of Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed digesting the verdict in the cage.

2. If the verdict was twisted, Egyptian-Canadian Fahmy’s resolve and the moral authority he displayed in the aftermath certainly wasn’t. (In this video at the :20 mark, you see Fahmy get heated for a moment when the students in the cage, also convicted, started screaming. He had wanted to call out to his family but that squelched the opportunity.)

3/4. Relatives and supporters, there in force (that’s the Canadian Ambassador talking to Fahmy’s brother) seemed expectant that the journalists would be released.

5. The judge spent a good chunk of time during the trial behind dark glasses.

6. Taken on June 1st during one of the hearings, how sad to think — the revolution not that long ago — the kangaroo courtroom is filled with young Egyptian lawyers.

7. And then, here’s a quick review of the near-term visual enabling between Sec. of State Kerry and our $1.5 billion ally. And then, is there any wonder the autocratic regime can be so brazen? Here’s Kerry a little over a year ago with the former President and Brotherhood member, Mohammed Morsi, now detained in some secret location.

8. Here’s Kerry, a little over six months ago, meeting with the military government, including Sissi right … before he dumped the uniform and strong-armed his way to the Presidency.

8. In a composition by pool photographer Brendan Smialowski, Egyptian security types lend a harshness and a foreboding quality to this photo taken on Monday. Kerry, in a surprise visit, made nice with the Egyptian Foreign Minister in Cairo the day before the journalists were hung out to dry. To be fair, Kerry was there, according to the caption, to express concern about Cairo’s “polarizing tactics.”

(photo 1-4 & 6 : Khaled Desouki/AFP caption: Al-Jazeera news channel’s Australian journalist Peter Greste (L) and his colleagues, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy (C) and Egyptian Baher Mohamed , listen to the verdict inside the defendants cage during their trial for allegedly supporting the Muslim Brotherhood on June 23, 2014 at the police institute near Cairo’s Tora prison. The Egyptian court sentenced the three Al-Jazeera journalists to jail terms ranging from seven to 10 years after accusing them of aiding the blacklisted Brotherhood. Since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, the authorities have been incensed by the Qatari network’s coverage of their deadly crackdown on his supporters.caption 2: Al-Jazeera’s Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy at his trial, June 23, 2014. . caption 3 & 4: Canadian ambassador to Egypt David Drake (L) sits near relatives of Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy before their hear the verdict in the latter’s trial for allegedly supporting the Muslim Brotherhood on June 23, 2014 at the police institute near Cairo’s Tora prison. The Egyptian court sentenced the three Al-Jazeera journalists to jail terms ranging from seven to 10 years after accusing them of aiding the blacklisted Brotherhood.  photo 5: EPA caption: The sentences, delivered by Judge Mohamed Nagui Shehata, have been widely condemned.) caption 6: Al-Jazeera channel’s journalists stand inside the defendants cage during their trial for allegedly supporting the Muslim Brotherhood on June 1, 2014 at the police institute near Cairo’s Tora prison. The high-profile case that sparked a global outcry over muzzling of the press is seen as a test of the military-installed government’s tolerance of independent media, with activists fearing a return to autocracy three years after the Arab Spring uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak..photo 7: Jacquelyn Martin/AFP/Getty. caption: US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) shakes hands with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi during a meeting at the presidential palace in Cairo on March 3, 2013. Kerry met the Egyptian president as he wrapped up a trip to Cairo, where he urged divided factions to reach a consensus that would pave the way for economic recovery. photo 8: Jason Reed/Reuters – pool caption: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C) meets with members of the Egyptian Department of Defence leadership, including the Defence Minister General Abdel Fatah el-Sisi (R), in Cairo, on November 3, 2013. Kerry said Washington is committed to working with Egypt’s interim rulers, as he paid his first visit to Cairo since the army ousted president Mohamed Morsi. photo 9: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images caption: US Secretary of State John Kerry (Back-L) meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri (Back-R) upon his arrival in the capital Cairo June 22, 2014. Kerry arrived in Egypt on a surprise visit, becoming the highest-ranking US official to visit since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power. Kerry is to meet Sisi during a lightning trip to press the former army chief to address fears of a crackdown on dissent, warning Washington was concerned about Cairo’s ‘polarizing tactics.’)