An Egyptian court on Saturday, June 19,
sentenced former Islamist president Mohamed
Morsi to life in prison for leading the Muslim
Brotherhood and 15 years for stealing secret
Egyptian state security documents.
The court acquitted Morsi of charges of having
supplied Qatar with classified documents but
sentenced him to life for leading an unlawful
organisation, his lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel
Maksoud told AFP.
The ousted president was also convicted of
having “stolen secret documents concerning
state security” and handed another 15-year jail
term, the lawyer added.
Qatar was a main backer of Morsi and his
Muslim Brotherhood movement while he was in
power between 2012 and July 2013, when the
military overthrew and detained him.
Morsi has been sentenced to death in a separate
trial for his alleged role in prison breaks and
attacks on police stations during the 2011
uprising that overthrew veteran strongman Hosni
Mubarak.
He has also received a life sentence and a 20-
year jail term in two other trials.
On Saturday the court confirmed death
sentences against six defendants, including
three journalists tried in absentia who allegedly
helped relay secret documents to Qatar.
The journalists, Ibrahim Mohamed Hilal and
Jordanian citizen Alaa Omar Mohamed Sablan,
both of Qatar-based Al-Jazeera channels. The
third, Asmaa Mohamed al-Khatib, a female
reporter with pro-Muslim Brotherhood news
outlet Rassd.
The three others sentenced to death, who were
present at the trial, were documentary producer
Ahmed Abho, EgyptAir cabin crew member
Mohammed Kilani and Ahmed Thabet, a
university teaching assistant.
All three convicted can appeal to the court of
cassation. Those who were tried in absentia can
seek a retrial if they appear in person.
Source: AFP
Post a Comment