529 Morsi supporters sentenced to death in Egypt

A court ordered the execution of 529 supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi after only two hearings Monday, in the largest such sentencing in Egypt’s modern history.

The unprecedented verdict comes amid an extensive crackdown on Morsi supporters, will is likely to be overturned on appeal, legal experts said.

The military-installed authorities have arrested thousands of Morsi supporters and put many of them on trial since the army deposed the Islamist on July 3.

The defendants in the southern province of Minya are part of a larger group of more than 1,200 alleged Islamists accused of killing policemen and rioting on August 14, after police killed hundreds of protesters while dispersing two Cairo protest camps.

Of the 529 defendants sentenced, 153 are currently in detention and the rest were tried in absentia. They automatically get a new trial if they turn themselves in.

Another 17 defendants were acquitted.

The verdict can be appealed at the Court of Cassation, which would probably order a new trial or reduce the sentences, legal expert Gamal Eid said.

“This sentencing is a catastrophe and a travesty and a scandal that will affect Egypt for many years,” said Eid, who heads the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.