240 Morsi backers referred to military court in Egypt

Egypt’s prosecution on Saturday referred 240 people to military courts after accusing them of joining the Muslim Brotherhood, burning down a church and a police station in the central province of Minya, a judicial source has said.

The source, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that the 240 people proved to have participated in the burning down of a church in Minya’s Malawi town and a police station in the same town in 2013.

He added that they committed these violations soon after security forces forcefully dispersed two protest camps in support of ousted President Mohamed Morsi in capital Cairo and Giza province in August of 2013.

In October of 2014, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi approved a law that allows for the referral of civilians involved in attacks against state institutions to military courts.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the movement from which Morsi hails, was designated a “terrorist” movement late in 2013.