An Egyptian court yesterday sentenced the adviser to former President, Mohamed Morsi, along with 13 others to life in prison for “attempting to carry out violent acts”, judicial sources reported.
Abdullah Shehata was an economic advisor to Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected civilian president, following the overthrow of long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak.
Fifteen others were sentenced to 15 years in prison and another to ten years in the same case. The court also placed all defendants under home arrest for five years after they serve their jail terms.
The court’s verdict is preliminary and subject to appeal before the Court of Cassation within 60 days.
The country’s prosecution accused the defendants of “creating special terrorist cells, illegally possessing weapons, belonging to an illegal group [the Muslim Brotherhood] and violating citizens’ freedoms”.
In 2013, the Egyptian regime officially declared the Muslim Brotherhood a “terrorist organisation”, a move that local and international rights groups strongly criticised.