The Zagazig Criminal Court ordered several alleged members of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group to serve harsh prison sentences.
The court handed life sentences to 25 defendants, 15-year prison sentences to two defendants, and acquitted another 13 defendants on accusations of belonging to a terrorist group.
The prosecution accused the defendants of committing violent acts in several areas across Sharqeya, and accused the group of possessing weapons and firearms, and intending to kill civilians, as well as resisting authorities.
Since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, numerous people have received prison sentences on charges of committing acts of terrorism.
Most defendants are labelled as “terrorists” by state media and pro-government media outlets, as well as being accused of belonging to the Brotherhood.
However, the Brotherhood rejects these accusations, claiming they are peacefully “objecting to the regime”.
Government authorities launched a crackdown on Islamist organisations following Morsi’s ouster in 2013. The Brotherhood’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), was dissolved by court order last year.
