An Egyptian court has added yet another dimension to
the ongoing crackdown against the supporters of deposed President
Mohamed Morsy by sentencing to death 683 backers of the Muslim
Brotherhood, including the organisation’s Supreme Guide, Mohamed Badie.
A
court in the city of Minya, found the defendants guilty of attacking a
police station on August 14, 2013, which led to the killing of a police
officer. The assault apparently followed the crackdown on two pro-Morsy
encampments in Cairo that led to the deaths of at least 1,000 supporters
of the deposed President.
The defendants were also
found guilty of inciting and committing violence, rioting, and
destroying public and private property. The Grand Mufti of the country
must now ratify the verdict, before the sentences can be carried out.
The final judgment will be passed on June 21, after the Grand Mufti has
arrived at a conclusion.
On Monday, intervention by
the Grand Mufti spared the lives of 492 people out of a group of 529 who
had been sentenced to death by the same court in March. The Minya court
pronounced that only 37 will now face capital punishment, while the
rest will spend the remaining part of their lives in jail.
In
the shadow of the court verdict, the interim Egyptian administration is
engaged in hectic preparations for fresh Presidential elections next
month in the hope of overriding the storm that has been stirred by its
heavy crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters.
Seeking
legitimacy, Field Marshall Abel Fattah El-Sisi — the mastermind behind
Mr. Morsy’s exit — is standing in the two-day presidential elections
that commence on May 26. Analysts say that there is little doubt that
the former military chief will win the polls, where he has to contend
with only one candidate — Hamdeen Sabahi, who had stood third in the
elections that had brought Mr. Morsy to power. The deposed President’s
supporters and pro-Brotherhood political parties have called for a
boycott of the upcoming elections.
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