CAIRO – An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced 14 senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including the head of the outlawed group, Mohammed Badie, to death.
The Cairo Criminal Court convicted the men for inciting chaos in the country in 2013, following a deadly police breakup of two Islamist protest camps in Cairo.
However, two of the convicts were tried in absentia, while the court also sentenced to life imprisonment 37 other defendants in the same case.
The court, however, said that the convicts could appeal against the rulings.
Badie is being tried on multiple charges. In February, another court handed down life imprisonment to him and several Islamist leaders in a separate case.
Rights advocates have repeatedly criticised mass prosecutions, saying that they lack guarantees for a fair trial.
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In 2013, the army deposed President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, following mass protests against his rule.
Egyptian authorities have since rounded up thousands of Islamists and put them on trial for allegedly inciting and participating in deadly riots.
The Brotherhood has repeatedly dismissed the charges as politically motivated.
However, the Egyptian government insisted that the country’s judiciary was independent. (dpa/NAN)
