163 anti-coup Egyptians receive prison sentences

Egypt’s state-run television announced that an Egyptian court has sentenced 126 people to ten years in prison against the backdrop of the violence that occurred last August following the military coup that ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi. Additionally, another court sentenced 37 people to 15 years in prison over accusations that they attempted to bomb two underground train stations. Thirty-four judges were referred to a disciplinary committee over accusations of getting involved in politics.

The defendants who were each sentenced to ten years chanted “down to military rule” while the judge was announcing the verdict. Among the charges made against them is belonging to a terrorist organisation, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s official news agency MENA reported that the Shubra Criminal Court, headed by Judge Hassan Fareed, decided that a verdict would be issued on 7 July against 48 leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The defendants, who are accused of inciting violence in the Qalyoubiya Governorate in late July 2012, include the group’s Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and senior leader Mohamed Al-Beltagy.

Earlier on 11 May, the Nasr City Court for Misdemeanour had sentenced 37 pro-Morsi students to prison for four years on charges related to being involved in the violence that took place in front of Al-Azhar University in Cairo late last year. The court also fined each of them 30,000 Egyptian pounds ($4,200).

On 3 May, the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced 102 defendants to ten years in prison. The defendants were arrested during the events that took place in the Dhahir area. The same court sentenced two minors to seven years in prison and fined all the defendants 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,800), as well as put them under surveillance for five years.

The Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat has appealed against the ruling issued by the Minya Criminal Court, in which 37 anti-coup defendants were sentenced to death after a trial that lasted for only a few days. They were among a group of 529 defendants; most of who were sentenced to life in prison, with 17 of them being cleared.

In another lawsuit that took place in April, a court referred the file of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide, together with the files of 682 other defendants, to the Mufti.