Egypt court sentences five to death

The Giza Criminal Court has sentenced five opponents of the military coup to death and two others to life imprisonment on charges of “forming a terrorist cell and killing a policeman” in the case dubbed in the media as the “October cell”.

In March, the Egyptian general prosecution referred seven suspects to criminal investigations on charges of forming a terrorist cell and shooting at the guards of the Virgin Mary church in 6 October City, which led to the death of a policeman.

The charges against the defendants included the illegal possession of firearms and killing a police officer with a gunshot in his head.

Since the 3 July military coup last summer against President Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian military-run authorities have rounded up thousands of opponents of the coup and supporters of the ousted president.

According to the Egyptian Observatory for Rights and Freedoms, the number of those who received death sentences in June 2014 was 180 individuals.