Egypt court sentences 529 Morsi supporters to death

Cairo: An Egyptian court sentenced 529 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to death for murder and other offences on Monday, in a sharp escalation of a crackdown on the movement that is likely to fuel instability. 

    Family members stood outside the courthouse screaming after the verdict — the biggest mass death sentence handed out in Egypt’s modern history, defence lawyers said. Supporters set fire to a nearby school in protest, state television reported. 
    Turmoil has deepened since the army overthrew Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, in July. Security forces have killed hundreds of Brotherhood members in the streets and arrested thousands. 
    Most of the defendants at Monday’s hearing were detained during clashes which erupted in the southern province of Minya after the forced dispersal of two Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo on August 14. 
    Islamist militants have also stepped up attacks on the police and army since Morsi’s ouster, killing hundreds and carrying out high profile operations against senior interior ministry officials. “The court has decided to sentence to death 529 defendants, and 16 were acquitted,” defence lawyer Ahmed al-Sharif said. The condemned men can appeal against the ruling. State television reported the sentences without comment. 
    A government spokesman did not immediately respond to calls. The Muslim Brotherhood, largely driven underground, responded by calling for the “downfall of military rule” on its official website. Mohamed Mahsoub, who served as minister of legal affairs under Morsi, described the court’s decision “a ruling calling for the execution of justice” on his Facebook page. REUTERS

LEGAL SHOCK: A relative of a Muslim Brotherhood member breaks down outside the court after Monday’s verdict