...

Egypt sentences 37 MB supporters to death (UPDATE)

Arab World Materials 28 April 2014 13:26 (UTC +04:00)
An Egyptian court has sentenced 37 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death while recommending the death sentence for 682 others, judicial sources said.
Egypt sentences 37 MB supporters to death (UPDATE)

the details were added (the first version was posted at 12:39)

An Egyptian court has sentenced 37 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death while recommending the death sentence for 682 others, judicial sources said.

Attorney Ahmed Hefni told reporters outside the court in the southern city of Minya on Monday that the "recommended" death sentences for 682 Brotherhood supporters first have to be approved by Egypt's mufti, the top Islamic official - a step that is usually considered a formality, Al Arabiya reported.

The case is linked to deadly riots that erupted in Minya and elsewhere in Egypt after security forces violently disbanded sit-ins held by Brotherhood supporters in Cairo last August.

The same court also reversed 492 death sentences out of 529 it passed in March, commuting most of the death sentences to life in prison.

The court is seeking the death penalty for Mohammad Badie, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's general guide, in a move that is tipped to raise tension in Egypt which has grappled with insecurity since the army ousted Islamist President Mohammad Mursi in July.

Previously, the United Nations expressed concern over Egypt's mass sentencing of 529 Islamists, saying it was a breach of international human rights law.

Tags:
Latest

Latest