The mass trial has been widely condemned by human rights organizations, with Amnesty International calling it a "grotesque parody of justice."
The 739 defendants, who included members of the Muslim Brotherhood, were arrested and tried for participating in a monthlong sit-in at Rabaa al-Adawiya and al-Nahda squares in Cairo to protest the removal of Morsy.
The protest culminated in mass violence, when Egyptian security forces -- under the command of now-President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi -- attempted to clear thousands of demonstrators by using automatic weapons, armored personnel carriers and military bulldozers. Hundreds of people were killed.
Among those sentenced to death Saturday at the Cairo Criminal Court were prominent Muslim Brotherhood members Essam El-Erian, Mohamed Beltagy, Abdel-Rahman al-Bar and Osama Yassin. Of the 75 people, 44 are in jail and 31 are on the run.
Although the verdict is considered final, the defendants can still appeal.
Another 56 defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, including Mohamed Badie, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
About 200 defendants were sentenced to five years behind bars, among them photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, also known as Shawkan. As the judge finished reading their verdict, they cheered, as they have already served their time in detention and expect to be released soon.
"Those who were sentenced to five years will be released, but according to the sentence, they will remain for another five years under surveillance," Mohamed Wahid, one of the defendant's lawyers, told CNN.
Shawkan, 31, was arrested on August 14, 2013, while taking pictures of security forces dispersing the Rabaa sit-in. He was awarded the Press Freedom Prize by the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO in April.
Osama Morsy, the son of Mohamed Morsy, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Mohamed Morsy, a former Brotherhood leader, was the country's first democratically elected president.
Another 360 defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prison. No one was found innocent.
Of the accused, 315 are jailed and 419 are fugitives. Charges were dropped against five defendants who died.
The government's actions in dispersing the Rabaa Adawiya square protest were widely condemned by international rights organizations. At least 817 people were killed in the violence, a 2014 report by Human Rights Watch found.
Saturday's verdict comes shortly after the US government released tens of millions of dollars in military aid to Egypt, funds that had been previously withheld due to concerns over the country's human rights record.
It upholds a July 28 ruling, in which 75 defendants were referred to the Grand Mufti in what's considered a preliminary death sentence. They included senior members of the group such as El-Erian, Beltagy and al-Bar.
Egypt requires that courts refer death sentences to the Grand Mufti to give a no-binding opinion to make sure the penalty is in line with the Islamic Sharia.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Egyptian court upholds death sentences for 75 people over 2013 demonstration"
Post a Comment