Egypt court sentences 6 men to death over killing policemen

An Egyptian court on Wednesday sentenced six Muslim Brotherhood members to death over crimes including allegedly killing policemen in 2016, Anadolu Agency reported.

Reporting Egyptian media, Anadolu Agency stated: “Al-Zaqaziq Criminal Court sentenced six members of the Muslim Brotherhood to death over charges of killing a number of policemen.”

The court sentenced six other members to ten years each, and five years for a sixth member on the same charges.

According to Egyptian law, the court issues an initial appealable death sentence, which can be petitioned at the Court of Cassation.

This particular case refers to 2016, when the Egyptian security services arrested 13 people claiming that they carried out several crimes, including the killing of a number of policemen and the formation of a terrorist cell intending to spread chaos and assassinate policemen. The prisoners denied all claims.

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International rights groups have criticised Egypt over its human rights violations and executions, while Cairo has always insisted that it abides by the law regarding its dealings with criminals.

According to reports, Egypt carried out at least 44 executions in 2016, at least 35 in 2017, and at least 43 in 2018. On 8 September, 2020, a court in Egypt sentenced 75 people to death and 47 others to life imprisonment over charges of murder and membership of a terrorist group.

In 2016, six were hanged after they were convicted of killing soldiers, amid reports that two had been in custody at the time of their alleged crimes.