An Egyptian court on Monday handed down preliminary death sentences against 20 people in connection with violence following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi. The 20 were among a group of 156 people accused of attacking a police station and killing two policemen in Kerdasa near Cairo in 2013. Monday’s sentences were referred to Egypt’s grand mufti for a non-binding opinion, as required by Egyptian law. The court will confirm the verdicts on July 2. In 2015, a court sentenced more than 150 people to death in connection with the violence, but the verdicts were later overturned by Egypt’s highest appellate court and ordered a retrial.
Egypt was roiled by violence and unrest after the military deposed Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president, in a 2013 military coup. Since Morsi’s overthrow, Egyptian authorities have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent, killing hundreds and sending thousands behind bars.
Source: http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/egypt-sentences-20-people-to-death-for-v…
