An appeals court in Egypt has overturned the death sentences of 149 pro-Islamists previously convicted of killing several policemen during a mob attack. The court ordered a new trial in a decision released Wednesday for the Islamists who killed 13 policemen during a protest in Aug. 14, 2013, the day when policemen also killed hundreds of demonstrators in Cairo, according to an AFP report. This is known today as the Rabaa massacre.
The death sentence for the Islamists came after a court proceeding in February 2015 and was part of the mass trials that Egypt has conducted recently. The country drew international condemnation for this ruling with critics arguing that the Egyptian government was using the process to smother support for ousted president Mohamed Morsi, who also served as the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Details of the appeals court's decision has not been made available so the grounds for the retrial are not yet known. Courts have been overturning several convictions in the past months, which have pleased international rights groups. However, the government, which has been urging for immediate executions, has been frustrated with this development. Ahmad al-Zend, Egypt's justice minister, has - for instance - vowed to resign in a televised interview if the jailed leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood members were not executed, the Middle East Eye reported.
There are also cases wherein courts upheld convictions and death sentences such as the confirmed executions for 183 Muslim Brotherhood members, BBC news reported.
