Egypt to retry Brotherhood leader, senior members

The Cairo Criminal Court is to modify charges and retry Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and other senior leaders and members of the group, judicial sources revealed yesterday.

A new court hearing will be held on 7 October after charges were changed from premeditated killing to beating that led to death.

Reuters said that the court did not clarify the reason for modifying the charges, but said that according to Egyptian law, charges can be altered if new evidence arises.

The defendants are also accused of “participating in the incitement and assistance … in beating of protesters”, Reuters said, noting that two of them are “charged with aggravated battery leading to deaths or disfigurement and possession of weapons”.

Badie has been handed multiple death sentences and life prison terms in a series of trials since Egypt’s military ousted the democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi in a coup in July 2013.

Only the defendants in custody are subject to retrial and charges against those sentenced in absentia remain unchanged.

After Morsi’s ouster, Egypt violently cracked down against pro-democracy demonstrators and outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood group, from which Morsi hailed.

READ: Egyptian court sentences Muslim Brotherhood leader to life in prison