Egyptian Military Court Senesces Eight People to Death


Egyptian Military Court Senesces Eight People to Death

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Egyptian military court sentenced eight people to death, including four in absentia, for alleged involvement in acts of violence in 2015.

Another 17 people were sentenced to life behind bars, including prominent figure Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who, along with six others, was tried in absentia on Wednesday.

The alleged acts of violence include the murder of a police officer in Cairo, a judicial source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Al-Qaradawi, the Egyptian-born head of the Doha-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), was reportedly charged with "incitement to murder", "spreading false news" and "vandalizing public property".

Twenty-six defendants in the same case were acquitted, including four senior members of Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood group, Al Jazeera reported.

Wednesday's raft of sentences is still subject to appeal. Defendants who were tried in absentia will receive retrials in the event that they are arrested or turn themselves in to the authorities.

Egypt has been roiled by violence since mid-2013 when Mohamed Mursi - the country’s first freely elected president- was overthrown and imprisoned in a bloody military coup.

In September, Interpol removed al-Qaradawi, 91, from its online wanted list.

The international police organization made the move after an assessment of the Egyptian charges against the scholar, who lives in exile in Qatar.

Most Visited in Other Media
Top Other Media stories
Top Stories