CAIRO, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian military court sentenced on Thursday 29 loyalists of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi from 10 to 15 years in prison over vandalism and violence charges, Xinhua's correspondent in Upper Egypt reported.
Assiut Military Court handed another four convicts from one to five years in jail while 22 defendants were acquitted of the charges of storming churches, schools and police stations and burning a police armored vehicle in Upper Egypt's province of Minya.
The sentences involved 55 defendants in three cases dating back to August 2013 when Morsi's supporters attacked churches and government premises following a deadly security dispersal of pro-Morsi sit-ins that left about 1,000 dead and thousands more arrested.
Earlier in late July, a criminal court sentenced 133 Brotherhood loyalists from 10 to 15 years in prison over similar charges.
Most Brotherhood leaders, members and supporters are currently in custody and many of them received appealable death sentences and life imprisonments over various charges varying from inciting violence and murder to espionage and jailbreak.
Morsi himself is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence over inciting clashes between his supporters and opponents outside a presidential palace in late 2012 that left 10 people dead.
Since Morsi's removal, Egypt has been facing a rising wave of terrorism that left hundreds of policemen and soldiers dead, mostly claimed by a Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) regional terrorist group. Enditem
