Egypt Muslim brotherhood leader sentenced to death

FILE – In this Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015 file photo, one-time potential presidential candidate Egyptian Muslim cleric Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail, center, appears in a courtroom accompanied by policemen, in Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo)

Egypt’s official news agency says a criminal court has sentenced 14 people, including the leader of the country’s banned Muslim Brotherhood, to death.

The Giza Criminal Court issued its decision on Monday, however the court set an April 11 date to formally issue the ruling after consulting with the country’s grand mufti; the mufti reviews all death penalty cases, but his ruling is not binding.

The case is rooted in violence that swept the country after the military-led ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, whose supporters set up large protest encampments in Cairo.

Security forces violently ended the sit-ins, killing hundreds. In retaliation, many police stations and churches came under attack by alleged Morsi supporters. The court convicted Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie and 13 others of orchestrating the violence.

Source:: Indian Express