Egypt court sentences nearly 100 to jail

A court in Egypt has sentenced nearly 100 supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, to long prison terms.

A court in the Nile Delta province of Kafr al-Sheikh sentenced 86 people to up to 15 years in jail each on Thursday after finding them guilty of violence during protests in support of Morsi.

The defendants, including four minors, were accused of clashing with security forces during a pro-Morsi protest in January, which had no casualties.

They were convicted of several charges including attempted murder, vandalism, illegal assembly, stealing a gun from a policeman, and possessing illegal arms.

In a similar case, 11 other defendants were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison each for allegedly causing violence outside the capital, Cairo, last December.

In the final case, two Morsi supporters were given life sentences for violence that left two people dead in July last year.

The Egyptian government has so far jailed more than 15,000 supporters of Morsi ever since the army ousted him in July 2013.

Morsi still awaits several trials which, if he is found guilty, may carry the death penalty.

Egyptian authorities have rounded up thousands of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood following the overthrow of Morsi. Hundreds have been handed lengthy jail terms and many sentenced to death in hasty trials.

Supporters of Morsi continue to stage protests that often turn into violent street clashes with security forces and civilian opponents.

Human rights groups say some 1,400 people have been killed in the turmoil since the Morsi ouster, which was led by the current president and the former head of the armed forces of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

GMA/HSN/SS