Egypt court upholds 25-year jail verdict for Brotherhood top chief

Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-15 20:13:02|Editor: pengying
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CAIRO, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's highest court upheld on Wednesday a 25-year jail term against the top chief of the currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group for plotting violence and sabotage following the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in early July 2013.

The Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohamed Badie is already in custody facing appealable death and jail sentences over similar charges.

On Wednesday, Egypt's Court of Cassation rejected his appeal, along with tens of other defendants, in the case related to deadly clashes with security forces in Ismailia province, northeast of the capital Cairo, following Morsi's overthrow.

The verdicts are final as they are upheld by the country's top court despite the defendants' appeals against the initial verdicts issued by Ismailia Criminal Court.

The case dates back to July 5, 2013, two days after Morsi's military ouster in response to mass protests, when clashes erupted between Morsi's supporters and the security forces in Ismailia province northeast of the capital Cairo, leaving three people dead and 16 wounded.

In May 2016, Ismailia Criminal Court sentenced Badie and 35 others to 25 years in prison, nine defendants to 15 years, 19 defendants to 10 years and 21 defendants to three years, while it acquitted 20 others. The case involves total 104 defendants.

Most Brotherhood leaders, including Morsi, are currently detained, and many of them have been handed appealable death sentences and lengthy jail terms over various charges varying from inciting violence and murder to espionage and jailbreak.

Morsi is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence over inciting deadly clashes between his supporters and opponents in late 2012, and a 25-year jail term over leaking classified documents to Qatar.

Since Morsi's removal, Egypt has been facing a rising wave of terrorism that left hundreds of policemen and soldiers dead, most of which have been claimed by a Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State regional terrorist group.

On the other hand, the Egyptian military and police have killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's removal.

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