– Shakilur Rahman
The Egyptian court sentenced 8 top leaders of the Islamic Brotherhood to death on charges of spreading anarchy, and 37 leaders to life imprisonment. According to reports, Egypt’s Supreme Emergency State Security Court has sentenced about 58 people of the Islamic Brotherhood. Those sentenced to death are Mohamad Badie (Supreme Guide), Mahmoud Ezzat (Vice-Supreme Guide), Mohamad El-Beltagy, Amr Zaki, Osama Yassin, Safwat Hegazy, Assem Abdel Majed, and Mohamad Abdel Maqsoud.
The court has sentenced the accused on charges of holding protests and demonstrations, spreading anarchy, destructing and damaging property on the arrest of ex-President Mohammed Morsi, who belonged to the Islamic Brotherhood, in 2013. In addition, they were accused of attacking personal freedom of citizens and public freedoms and rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the law and harming national unity and social peace.
In April 2021, the Supreme State Security Prosecution referred the case to the Supreme Emergency State Security Court.
In June 2021, the court held the first hearing session of the case. Three months later the court heard the order of the defendants’ referral. The Public Prosecution accused six defendants of, during July 2013, assuming leadership of a group established in contravention of the provisions of the law.
They were also blamed for inciting others to participate in a gathering at El-Nasr Road for the same purposes, by assigning them and agreeing with them on a plan for their given roles, and helping them by supplying them with firearms and cold weapons.
In 2013, Mohammed Morsi, then President of Egypt, was ousted from power by the army. Egypt had also declared the Islamic Brotherhood a ‘terrorist organization’. Thereafter, the Egyptian government took brutal action against them and imprisoned thousands of activists, including many of their leaders, and sentenced them to death.
The Egyptian army cracked down on the Islamic Brotherhood and arrested many leaders and thousands of activists, including Mohammed Morsi. Many leaders of the Islamic Brotherhood were hanged. The deposed president died during imprisonment.
