Court sentences 529 members of the outlawed group to death on charges of murder, according to defence lawyer.
Last updated: 24 Mar 2014 09:29
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An Egyptian court has sentenced 529 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to death on charges including murder, a defence lawyer said, in a sharp escalation of a crackdown on the movement.
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Those convicted are part of a group of 545 defendants on trial for the killing of a police officer, attempted killing of two others, attacking a police station and other acts of violence.
"The court has decided to sentence to death 529 defendants and 16 were acquitted," lawyer Ahmed al-Sharif told Reuters news agency on Monday.
The ruling can be appealed.
The trial is part of a government crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, which started after the removal of President Mohamed Morsi in July.
Most of the defendants were arrested during clashes which erupted in the southern province of Minya after the forced dispersal of two Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo on August 14.
Only 123 of the defendants were present. The rest were either released, out on bail or on the run.
A second group of about 700 defendants will be in the dock on Tuesday. They are accused of attacking both people and public property in southern Egypt in August.
The government has declared the Brotherhood a "terrorist" group.
It comes as Al Jazeera journalists will be returning to court as part of their ongoing trial for spreading false news and being part of a terrorist organisation.
Al Jazeera denies all charges levelled against its staff.
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Source:
Agencies
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