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Egypt sentences six to life for ‘trying to overthrow Sisi’

December 14, 2017 at 9:48 am

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi during press conference at the Elysee Palace on 24 October 2017 [Egyptian President Office/Apaimages]

An Egyptian court yesterday sentenced six defendants to life in prison over what has been known as the cell of Al-Azhar University, Youm7.com reported.

The five university professors and a student were accused of attempting to cause chaos in the university and encourage students to carry out hostile plans ending with a coup against the country’s ruler.

The defendants denied the charges.

Monitors and rights groups have always casted doubts on Egyptian courts’ ability to provide fair trials, with mass trials being held and defence lawyers not provided time to examine evidence against their clients.

Since the military coup against the first-ever freely elected Egyptian President, Mohamed Morsi, on 3 July 2013, the Egyptian authorities have accused the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi stemmed, of “inciting violence and terror”.

Read: Sisi’s terrorist organisation

In December 2013, the Egyptian government banned the Muslim Brotherhood, branding it a “terror” organisation.

The group insists it is a peaceful movement and does not call for any military action against leaders of the military coup.