An Egyptian court on Saturday, June 19, sentenced former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to life in prison for leading the Muslim Brotherhood and 15 years for stealing secret Egyptian state security documents. In a capital espionage case, the deposed Islamist leader was given life imprisonment (25 years) and an additional 15 years, making it unlikely that he will leave prison in his lifetime.
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An Egyptian court has sentenced former president Mohamed Morsi to another life term in prison for allegedly leaking state secrets.
Last year, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi pardoned two imprisoned journalists from the Al-Jazeera English news network.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry has expressed strong condemnation of mentioning the State of Qatar ” s name in the verdict issued Saturday by Cairo Criminal Court in the case known as “Qatar espionage”.
Six defendants were sentenced to death, including Al-Jazeera news producer Alaa Omar Mohammed and news editor Ibrahim Mohammed Hilal and Rasd news network Asmaa al-Khateib, who were all sentenced in absentia. His Muslim Brotherhood group was banned and declared a terrorist organization after his ouster.
The verdicts can be appealed.
Helal was sentenced with Alaa Sablan, who was an Al Jazeera reporter until previous year.
The rulings against Morsi and all other defendants can be appealed.
The Paris press freedom group Reporters without Borders ranked Egypt 159 out of 180 in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
In May 2015, Morsi and 105 others were sentenced to death for a mass prison break in 2011 during the country’s popular uprising that led to the overthrow of long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak.
Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi stands behind dock bars during a trial session, in Cairo, Egypt, 13 July 2014.
Morsi, along with 10 co-defendants, were accused by Egypt’s army-backed authorities of spying for Qatar and leaking classified documents to the Gulf statelet during his single year as president.
Three other defendants were also sentenced to death and remain in custody.
The other three to receive death sentences include a documentary producer, an EgyptAir cabin crew member and also a university professor.
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Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reprieve are among international organisations who have condemned the trials, while the Committee to Protect Journalists lists Egypt as one of the most unsafe places for reporters to work.
