Egyptian court sentences former President Morsi to life in prison and 2 Aljazeera journalists, female reporter, to death

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Egyptian court sentences former President Morsi to life in prison and 2 Aljazeera journalists, female reporter, to death

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