Egypt court overturns death sentences for 149 Morsi supporters

An Egyptian court on Wednesday overturned death sentences handed down against 149 people accused of killing policemen, a judicial source said.

The Court of Cassation accepted an appeal filed by the defendants, who were sentenced to death in February on charges of killing policemen in a mob attack on their station in Kerdasa city near Cairo, the source told Anadolu Agency.

The court also ordered a retrial and overturned a 10-year jail term handed down against another defendant in the case, the source added.

Prosecutors accuse the defendants of storming the Kerdasa police station and killing several policemen in mid-2013 following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in a military coup.

Since Morsi’s overthrow, Egyptian authorities have launched a harsh crackdown on his supporters, killing hundreds and detaining thousands.

The Egyptian government accuses Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood group of carrying out attacks against security forces and declared it a “terrorist organization” in late 2013.

The Muslim Brotherhood denies the government accusations, insisting that it follows peaceful forms of activism.