Egypt court confirms Badie death sentence

An Egyptian court has confirmed the death sentence against the Muslim Brotherhood’s general guide Mohamed Badie and more than 180 others, judicial sources say.

Lawyers said the ruling, which was confirmed on Saturday, can be overturned on appeal.

Badie was one of thousands of Brotherhood figures and supporters arrested in a deadly crackdown following the army’s toppling in July of former president Mohamed Morsi, a senior member of the group.

The case against Badie springs from an attack on a police station near the southern city of Minya on August 14, in which one policeman and one civilian were killed.

The attack was carried out in retaliation after police killed hundreds while dispersing a Cairo sit-in by supporters of Morsi.

The Brotherhood has since been labelled a “terror organisation” by Egyptian authorities. Its supporters have held persistent protests against the military-backed government, often resulting in clashes. 

In the latest violence, three people were killed during a protest in Cairo on Friday, according to the Health Ministry.

In March, the same court that sentenced Badie to death triggered an international outcry when it handed down the same sentence for 529 alleged Morsi supporters on similar charges.

The judge subsequently upheld 37 of those sentences and commuted the rest to life in prison.

Morsi has been in jail since he was overthrown and is on trial for inciting the killing of opposition protesters in December 2012 outside the presidential palace.

The deposed president also faces charges of espionage in collaboration with the Palestinian movement Hamas.