CAIRO, April 8 (Aswat Masriya) It is not for the United States to accept, reject or comment on an Egyptian court order, said a foreign ministry statement issued on Tuesday.

The U.S. State Department denounced the continued imprisonment of three Egyptian activists after a court upheld on Monday a three-year sentence against them for violating protest law and assaulting the police.

"We urge the Egyptian government to exercise its constitutional authority to commute these excessive sentences, which are not in line with the rights guaranteed in Egypt's new constitution, Egypt's international obligations or the government's own commitment not to return to Mubarak-era practices," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a briefing in Washington.

"The comments by the U.S. State Department do not deserve a response," said Egypt's official statement.

Meanwhile, dozens of activists began a sit-in in Cairo protesting the verdict against Ahmed Douma, Ahmed Maher and Mohamed Adel.

They demanded a presidential pardon to release the activists who were arrested while demonstrating against the protest law in November.

Douma's wife told Aswat Masriya that the verdict is political.