Washington–The US is criticizing Egypt's military council after a tribunal convicted a blogger of insulting the army and sentenced him to three years in prison.
The military court's verdict against 26-year-old Maikel Nabil is raising fears the army is blocking greater freedom of expression and political reform. Nabil carried reports of abuses by the military and accused it of remaining loyal to ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the US is "deeply concerned" about Nabil's sentencing.
He said Egypt experiencing a "rocky time" in its transition from decades of autocracy.
And he called Tuesday for Egypt's government to allow greater freedom of expression, saying this is not the kind of progress the US is looking for.
