Egypt sentences 18 Morsi supporters to decades in jail

An Egyptian court yesterday sentenced three supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi to 43 years in prison, and another eight to 38 years each, on charges of rioting and inciting violence in the city of Adwa in the Minya Governorate according to judicial sources.

The general prosecution referred the 11 defendants to the Criminal Court on charges of protesting without approval, inciting riots and violence, and assaulting security forces.

The same court sentenced seven more defendants to 28 years each and acquitted five in the case of the Matai riots in the Minya Governorate. The defendants had previously been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment or death.

On April 28, the Minya Criminal Court sentenced 37 people to death and 491 others to life imprisonment (25 years), on charges of murdering a policeman, attempting to murder two others, committing acts of violence, rioting and storming police stations.

According to Egyptian law, fugitives sentenced in absentia must be retried once they are arrested.

The same court acquitted 15 Morsi supporters and postponed the rulings on eight others to December.

The defendants’ chief lawyer Khaled Komi told the Anadolu news aency that all these sentences are preliminary and subject to appeal.

“Trials have major irregularities in their proceedings, which will be acknowledged by the Court of Cassation [the highest degree of litigation] once they are presented to it,” he said.

International and Egyptian human rights organisations criticised the mass death sentences issued against supporters of ousted President Morsi last April. The verdicts were described as “political”.

The Egyptian authorities have denied the claims saying the judiciary’s decisions are independent and non-politicised and they cannot be criticised or commented on by other parties.