Alwaght- An Egyptian court sentenced on Saturday 75 of people over security-related charges, including senior Muslim Brotherhood figures. The ruling by the Cairo Criminal Court will automatically be referred to Egypt's top theological authority, the Grand Mufti, to decide whether they should be sentenced to death.
The sprawling prosecution involves a total of 739 defendants, including the Muslim Brotherhood's Supreme Guide, Mohammed Badie, who are accused of illegal protest and murder over a 2013 sit-in which ended in the deaths of hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters and dozens of police when security forces broke it up violently. The accused face a range of sentences including execution and life in prison.
Egyptian law requires any capital sentence to be referred to Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, Egypt’s highest Islamic legal official, for an opinion before any execution can take place.