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Mohammed Morsi death sentence upheld by Egypt court | Mohammed Morsi death sentence upheld by Egypt court |
(35 minutes later) | |
An Egyptian court has upheld the death sentence imposed on ousted ex-President Mohammed Morsi over a mass jailbreak. | |
The sentence was initially passed in May, but was confirmed after consultation with Egypt's highest religious figure, the Grand Mufti. | |
The death sentences of five other leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including its supreme guide Mohammed Badie, were also upheld. | |
Morsi's supporters have described the sentence as "farcical". | |
The verdict is subject to appeal. One hundred and one other defendants were also sentenced to death in absentia. | |
Morsi escaped from Wadi Natroun prison in January 2011 and was accused of colluding with foreign militants in a plot to free Islamists during mass prison breaks. | |
The 2011 uprising brought an end to Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule and Morsi was elected president a year later. | The 2011 uprising brought an end to Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule and Morsi was elected president a year later. |
Espionage | |
He was deposed by the army in July 2013 following mass street protests against his rule and is already serving a 20-year jail term for ordering the arrest and torture of demonstrators. | He was deposed by the army in July 2013 following mass street protests against his rule and is already serving a 20-year jail term for ordering the arrest and torture of demonstrators. |
Morsi was also sentenced to life imprisonment by the same court on Tuesday for spying on behalf of foreign militant groups, including Hamas. | |
The judge said that the Muslim Brotherhood had "collaborated with Palestinian Hamas to infiltrate Egypt's eastern borders and attack prisons", state TV reported. | |
Sixteen other Muslim Brotherhood members were sentenced to death on charges of delivering secret documents abroad between 2005 and 2013. | Sixteen other Muslim Brotherhood members were sentenced to death on charges of delivering secret documents abroad between 2005 and 2013. |
Morsi's trials | |
Only three of the other defendants are in custody, including Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater. | Only three of the other defendants are in custody, including Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater. |
Morsi was overthrown by military chief - and now president - Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and was subsequently imprisoned facing various charges. | Morsi was overthrown by military chief - and now president - Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and was subsequently imprisoned facing various charges. |
At the start of Morsi's first trial in 2013, he shouted from the dock that he was the victim of a "military coup". | |
Since then, Morsi has been forced to sit in soundproof glass cages in courtrooms, which officials say are designed to prevent him disrupting proceedings. | Since then, Morsi has been forced to sit in soundproof glass cages in courtrooms, which officials say are designed to prevent him disrupting proceedings. |