A criminal court in Egypt sentenced 529 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood to death Monday, for killing a police officer last August.
The verdict was given after just two sessions of hearing with the litigants complaining they got no chance to defend themselves. Most of the defendants were tried in absentia and just 147 were present during the hearing in a court in Minya, south of capital Cairo. However, the ruling can be appealed.
"The court has decided to sentence to death 529 defendants, and 16 were acquitted," defense lawyer Ahmed al-Sharif told Reuters.
Mostafa El-Attar, the deputy commander of the Matay district police station in Minya, was killed last year during violence in protests by the Muslim Brotherhood members demanding the return of Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted as president in July. Since then, the current military-backed government declared Brotherhood a terrorist organisation.
MENA, a state-run news agency stated that the convicts were accused of murdering El-Attar and attempting to kill two other police officers. They were also charged for attacking public property, setting ablaze the Matay police station, capturing police weapons and disrupting police order, reports ahramonline.
Since the army took control of Egypt, harsher punishments have been given to offenders. Security forces have killed hundreds of Brotherhood supporters in the streets and arrested thousands. However, the lawyers said this was the first time in the history of the country's judiciary history that such a large group has been sentenced to death.
Morsi himself is on trial facing several chargers with one that states he conspired with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah to smuggle arms, organize military training for group members, and threatened national security. He is also charged for inciting murders of protesters who wanted new elections in December 2012.
