Brotherhood demands army downfall, furious relatives decry death verdict
- 10 years ago
Families of more than 500 members of the Muslim Brotherhood sentenced to death are angry.
Lawyers said it’s the biggest mass death sentence in Egypt’s modern history.
Most of the defendants at Monday’s hearing were detained and charged with carrying out attacks during clashes which erupted in the southern province of al-Minya after the forced dispersal of two Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo on August 14.
Aly Mahmmoud, lawyer for one of the defendants, said is furious: “We (the defence lawyers) were all banned from attending (the trial) by the security. (The judge) issued his verdict with no defence lawyers attending and sentenced to death 530. The rest of the verdicts (will be heard) on April 28. This is not justice. Justice has been killed.”
Family members stood outside the courthouse screaming after the verdict.
A brother of one of the defendants convicted to death shouted, “This is not justice, Morsi (referring to ousted president Mohammed Morsi) was not wrong when he said that the ministry of the judiciary is lacking justice.”
Turmoil has deepened since former Egyptian President Mursi was overthrown last year.
His Muslim Brotherhood movement responded to Monday’s verdict by calling for the “downfall of military rule.”
The condemned men may appeal against the ruling.
Lawyers said it’s the biggest mass death sentence in Egypt’s modern history.
Most of the defendants at Monday’s hearing were detained and charged with carrying out attacks during clashes which erupted in the southern province of al-Minya after the forced dispersal of two Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo on August 14.
Aly Mahmmoud, lawyer for one of the defendants, said is furious: “We (the defence lawyers) were all banned from attending (the trial) by the security. (The judge) issued his verdict with no defence lawyers attending and sentenced to death 530. The rest of the verdicts (will be heard) on April 28. This is not justice. Justice has been killed.”
Family members stood outside the courthouse screaming after the verdict.
A brother of one of the defendants convicted to death shouted, “This is not justice, Morsi (referring to ousted president Mohammed Morsi) was not wrong when he said that the ministry of the judiciary is lacking justice.”
Turmoil has deepened since former Egyptian President Mursi was overthrown last year.
His Muslim Brotherhood movement responded to Monday’s verdict by calling for the “downfall of military rule.”
The condemned men may appeal against the ruling.