Former Egypts President Morsi Sentenced to 20 years in Prison

Former Egypts President Morsi Sentenced to 20 years in Prison

It was the first ruling against Muslim Brotherhood leader Morsi since the army toppled him in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. The decision can be appealed.

The case was part of a crackdown on members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which is now banned and listed as a terrorist organisation by the government.

A popular uprising toppled veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and started years of political turmoil. Former Defense Minister and current President Abdel Fattah al Sisi says stability is needed to revive the shattered economy.

While courts have largely dismissed charges against Mubarak-era officials, they have handed down heavy sentences to Brotherhood figures, from top leader Mohamed Badie on down.

Thousands of alleged Brotherhood supporters have been jailed since the army overthrew Mursi in 2013 following mass protests. The Brotherhood maintains it is committed to peaceful activism.

Mursi himself faces serious charges in three other cases, where he is accused of organising a deadly prison escape, conspiring with foreign groups to increase violence in the Sinai Peninsula, and leaking state secrets to Qatar.

Cairo has defended its actions against protesters, saying they were given the opportunities to disperse peacefully and that Brotherhood militants initiated the violence. It says all defendants are given a fair trial by an independent judiciary.

Morsi faces charges of inciting violence relating to the deaths of about a dozen people in clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012 after he enraged his opponents with a decree expanding his powers. (Reuters)

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