Egypt starts largest ever trial of Muslim Brotherhood leaders

Al-Minya Criminal Court is scheduled to start the largest ever trial of Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Egypt Saturday.

More than 1200 senior and mid-ranking members will stand trial on charges of attacking private and public properties. The charges are widely believed to be politically motivated and an attempt to cover up the massacres committed by the post-coup authorities against supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi since August.

Saturday’s trial is considered the largest in terms of the number of defendants affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The defendants include the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie, whose son was shot dead during one of the post-coup protests in his hometown of Beni Suef.

Supporters of Mohammed Morsi have been staging non-stop protests against the July 3 military coup which led to the overthrow of the country’s first democratically-elected civilian president.