The month-long protest culminated in mass violence, when Egyptian security forces — under the command of now-President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi — attempted to clear thousands of demonstrators by using automatic weapons, armored personnel carriers and military bulldozers.
The government’s actions were widely condemned by international rights organizations. A 2014 report by Human Rights Watch found at least 817 people were killed in the violence.
The 75 defendants sentenced to death on Saturday are accused of “attacking citizens, resisting authorities, destroying public property and buildings, and possessing firearms and Molotov cocktails,” according to Ahram Online.
Among those sentenced are Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and prominent members Essam El-Erian, Mohamed El-Beltagy and Wagdy Ghoneim, Ahram reported.
The government is prosecuting 739 people for participation in the protests
Before the verdict can be finalized and death sentences carried out, Egypt’s penal code requires the Grand Mufti, the country’s leading Islamic authority, to issue a religious opinion on the matter, according to Ahram. The Grand Mufti’s opinion is non-binding but rarely ignored.
A criminal court will issue its final verdict on the death sentences on September 8, Ahram reported, but defendants will have the right to appeal.
Source : Nbcnewyork