(AFP File PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA)
Former president Mohamed Morsi was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday in the ‘Presidential Palace’ case, alongside 12 other defendants. The sentencing is the first since his ouster in July 2013.
The Cairo Criminal Court found Morsi and 12 Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including Mohamed El-Beltagy and Essam El-Erian, guilty of “demonstrating power and violence” and “inciting violence”. The court also sentenced the two other defendants in the case to 10 years in prison. All 15 defendants were acquitted of the killing protesters charge.
At least 10 protesters were killed in clashes between anti-Morsi and pro-Morsi demonstrations on 5 December, 2013, in front of the palace.
Morsi has been kept in custody since the military take over, and his first appearance before a court was in November 2013. He stands trial in four more cases:
Prison Break: The case dates back to the early days of the 25 January Revolution in 2011, whereby the prosecution accused Morsi and 34 Brotherhood members of escaping from Wadi El-Natrun prison. A verdict session for Morsi and 130 other defendants in the case will be held on 16 May.
Espionage: Morsi is accused, along with 35 other members of the Brotherhood, of leaking the documents to foreign agents, including Hamas and Hezbollah. They also stand accused of funding and supporting terrorism.
Qatar Espionage: The former president and 10 other Brotherhood defendants stand accused of spying and leaking confidential general and military intelligence documents to Qatari intelligence and the Qatari satellite channel Al Jazeera.
Insulting Judiciary: Morsi will stand trial on 23 May, along with 24 other defendants, including liberal politician Amr Hamzawy, on the charge of “insulting the judiciary”.
