The parents of Peter Greste are hoping that a petition will help their son, one of the three Al Jazeera journalists who was recently sentenced to jail in a widely-condemned verdict.
Earlier this week, Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were found guilty of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and sentenced to at least seven years in jail. The prosecution presented no evidence to support the charges, and the verdict has triggered international outrage.
Greste's parents are asking supporters to sign a petition calling on Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to release the three journalists. The petition is being circulated by Amnesty International.
"All three men are prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to free expression," the organization wrote. "Egypt must immediately drop the charges against the three journalists and let them go free."
Greste's father Juris said at a press conference that he and his wife are "devastated, shocked and dismayed" by the verdict. As of Wednesday morning, there were 63,926 signatures. Visit Amnesty International for the petition.
El-Sissi said Tuesday that he won't intervene in the court's decision.