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AN EGYPTIAN COURT sentenced Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 682 other alleged Islamists to death today, after two brief sessions the defence partly boycotted.
The same court in the southern province of Minya also reversed 492 of 529 death sentences it passed in March, commuting most of those to life in prison.
The court, presided over by judge Said Youssef Sabry, had sparked an international outcry with its initial sentencing last month amid an extensive crackdown on supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
The crackdown has reached secular leaning dissidents who supported Morsi’s overthrow but have since turned on the army-installed regime.
In Cairo, a court banned the April 6 youth movement that spearheaded the 2011 revolt against strongman Hosni Mubarak, following a complaint accusing it of defaming Egypt and colluding with foreign parties.
In Minya, the judge is to confirm the death sentences on June 21.
Under Egyptian law, death sentences are referred to the top Islamic scholar for an advisory opinion before being ratified. A court may choose to commute the sentences, which can later be challenged at an appeals court.
Of the 683 sentenced on Monday, only about 50 are in custody. The others have a right to a retrial if they hand themselves in.
Today’s hearing lasted just 10 minutes, said Khaled Elkomy, a defence lawyer who was in court.
The verdict was the first against Badie, spiritual head of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, in the several trials he faces on various charges along with Morsi himself and other Brotherhood leaders.
Several female relatives waiting outside the courtroom fainted on hearing news of the verdict.
“Where is the justice?” others chanted.
Some said family members had been unjustly convicted or put on trial.
“My son does not even pray, he does not even know where the mosque is,” said one woman, whose son was among the 529 sentenced to death in March.
Karima Fadl, the mother of a man whose death sentence was commuted, said: “My son Khaled received a life sentence.
“It is not better than a death sentence. It is still an injustice. He did nothing wrong.”
‘Breach of international law’
Those sentenced on Monday were accused of involvement in the murder and attempted murder of policemen in Minya province on August 14, the day police killed hundreds of Morsi supporters in clashes in Cairo.
Defence lawyers boycotted the last session, branding it “farcical” after the mass death sentencing which the United Nations denounced as a breach of international human rights law.
Lawyer Elkomy claims 60 percent of the 529 defendants, including teachers and some doctors, have evidence that “proves they were not present the day they were accused of attacking the Matay police station” in Minya, said the Avaaz human rights group.
The government has defended the court’s handling of the first mass death sentences, insisting the sentences were passed only “after careful study” and were subject to appeal.
Prosecutor Abdel Rahim Abdel Malek defended the charges against the 529.
“We have strong evidence that incriminates all those sentenced to death,” he told AFP.
We have videos, witness accounts… documents that prove that the Muslim Brotherhood had called on its supporters to attack police stations and public and private property in case the sit-in at Rabaa al-Adawiya (in Cairo) was broken up, and that’s what happened.
Last month’s death sentences sent a chill through opponents of the military-installed regime, which has held mass trials of thousands of alleged Islamists since Morsi’s ouster.
At least 1,000 people have been sentenced since December, all in groups of 10 or more. Jail terms passed range from six months to life, as well as the death penalty.
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If we held candle light vigils for all that were unfortunate to die in hospitals because of inadequate or unprofessional procedures they would be occurring day and daily. This case has been hijacked for political purposes.
Or you could be less cynical about it and see that it was a heart wrenching story that people took personally. A beautiful, intelligent young woman was denied life saving treatment because of our backwards society while her brave husband showed tremendous strength and passion after her death. It’s a story worth hearing.
There are hundreds of stories worth hearing .. sadly none are afforded the vast amount of air time or column space that this one is.
true Liam,
what happened was a tragedy,
– but they way it was shamelessly & cynically exploited by the ‘Irish Times’ & Co. was terrible.
I used to occasionally buy the ‘Irish Times’ but never again.
Many families all over the country have lost a loved one due to medical misdiagnosis or mismanagement.
But their deaths were not cynically exploited to promote a political agenda.
@Zoe @Liam there may be “hundreds of stories worth hearing” but space and time doesn’t allow all stories to be told.
That’s why some stories are more important, because they were heard by many, created debate, touched people.
Savita’s story is one of those.
Savita’s family want justice, they are not happy with the reports so far, they have called again for people to be held accountable, they are making sure she is not forgotten.
What justice are they looking for?
@Liam I totally agree with you!
How can an Indian family hope to ever get justice in a country that turns a blind eye to child abusing Roman Catholics?
It is a political matter, Liam, as politicians have had to decide how to amend the Constitution in line with the directive from tthe EU and the referendum vote in favour of a suicide clause. I just wish the legislation had been widened to include Fatal Foetal Abnormalities and risk not just to a woman’s life but also her health.
@ Silver Fern, yes some stories are more important. And they come to represent more than the individual involved either because others suffered in similar circumstances or because change occurred on the back of the story.
It would be great if every individual’s story could be heard but unfortunately they can’t.
The difference is This woman probably died because she was left there pregnant carrying a baby that the medics knew was no longer viable with life but had the potential to cause sepsis in its mother which it did. Sepsis always carries the risks of death . Action is a massive factor in the outcome . Staffing levels have to be looked at as well as one person can not do two jobs or even three people’s !
I apologise in advance if this sounds cold but is any one else fed up of hearing about this story.
Well considering a young woman died and her death was preventable, until such a time that there are measures put in place to ensure that this doesnt happen again, it is important to keep this story in the public’s mind.
Fox Trot, you are not only cold hearted but gratuitously unpleasant. You could simply have ignored this article and avoided posting a comment but instead yiu selected an article about a woman whose tragedy has upset many in this country, to do this. It is just that yiu lack empathy and a sense of recognition of the significance of this tragedy.
In time to come, you may recognise what this sadness is about. If not, that will will be a shame.
Please allow people the dignity and respect of this sad occasion. Thank you.
Fox trot why don’t u just ignore every Savita article seen as your so sick of it all? And why don’t you just use your real name?
Why do you want to know his or her name? What do you benefit by it? Other than a means to track him / her down over Facebook?
Think its time that this country started putting its people first. This was a life that could of been saved. May she rest in peace
Can’t believe its been a year since this happened, that man should be spending Christmas with his wife and child soon. But because of the backwardness and ineptitude of this country he can’t do that.
Rules on the immediate treatment of Sepsis have been brought in. Unfortunately No help for Savita
The backwardness and ineptitude of the HSE more like.
Given that Praveen Halappanavar is Hindu he should be celebrating Diwail, on the 3rd of November, the celebration of the Hindu new year and the Goddess Lakshmi, with his wife.
@tom… They can have all the rules and guidelines in the world, but if they don’t pick it up, it won’t make any difference. This woman didn’t have her basic obs checked until it was already too late.
Hindus don’t do Christmas.
How many people attended………
@margaret… Thanks to commercialism, their kids do.
It took this woman from another country to bring about some change which in my view doesn’t go far enough. We should be ashamed of that fact. Thanks to this ladies husband this was brought to the public’s attention. I fear if this was a Catholic Irish woman we would not have heard a thing.
And ironically enough, back in India, her hospital care would allegedly be far inferior to what she should’ve expected to get here.
I’m pro choice but i’m a little uncomfortable that a woman’s unfortunate experience is being used like some kind of marketing material. Before the whatabouttery starts, It’s not as bad as the disgusting stuff the anti-abortionists come out with, but there’s still something a little opportunist about it that makes me cringe.
Exactly… they turned her death in to a political football.
Easily avoided deaths like the one of Savita are always due to a political choice, in this case, the political choice of not angering the pro-foetus people in Ireland by not legislating on something that should have been legislated about decades ago.
Savita died because a number of political choices.
Have to agree. This lovely woman got lost somewhere in the middle of all the lobbying.
RIP and peace to her family and friends, a year already oh my!
It is a fine and good thing to pat tribute to Savita’s short life and to remember her. The organisers are to be commended for this.
I agree I was pregnant when savita died and it made my pregnancy very worrying … Rip … X
when somebody dies your immediate thought is your own and your babies well being?
No my point was that people’s confidence in our health and in particular maternity services are placed under question … I was so saddened to hear about this ladies death but also I was in the same position as her pregnant and at the hands of the same people who had failed her !!!… My heart goes out to her husband , family and friends … Rip x
Of course you would be worried Denise, any woman would.
Her death was completely preventable. I don’t agree or disagree with abortion but I don’t think the church should have any say in the matter. Had this not been a ”catholic country” as she was told by the people who were treating her she would still be alive. Screw your Catholic country shit and save her life. Doctors should act how they see fit not how the church sees fit. RIP Savita. Her tragic story makes me sick to the stomach!!!
Really Tara? The doctors missed the sepsis not the priest… but dont let the facts get in the way of a good rant…
what happened Savita had nothing to do with being a ‘catholic country’ – despite this being reported in media headlines, all over the world.
Subsequent medical investigations, brought to light the misdiagnosis, of the severity of Savita’s condition. She was not properly monitored, & there were several warning signs on her medical chart, that were not followed up on properly.
the Irish Times only highlighted the ‘catholic country’ bit, because it suited THEIR agenda – but they played down the rest of the relevant facts, of this tragic case.
A dying foetus given precidence over a dying woman because removal of a dying foetus from a dying woman is against a “pro-life” law. Savita wasn’t the first and unfortunately, due to anti-woman laws, I doubt she’ll be the last.
Tara well said totally agree. Zoe you’re a broken record.
I’m sure if they had terminated the first time she asked they would have found the sepsis in its earlier stages and been able to treat accordingly and much quicker therefore its much more likely that he would be still here today!!
If she died from some other ailment, and not from complications resulting from a miscarriage, no one would know her name. Its just an unfortunate case where pro life and pro abortion jumped on the band wagon. We. Are a nation of hypocrites where few feel for her family. Just find a cause, and no real empathy
@ Peter, if you only knew.
Sad.
One thing I noticed is that the UK media suddenly stopped reporting the Savita story when the results of the inquiries were published yet they were all over the initial spin.
agree,
the media have been crucial in this story.
What an embarsesment to Ireland.If there is a God there,may she rest in peace.
The use of soya products in India culture particularly for vegans seems to be a missing factor in this tragic story. COL (Retired) Don M. Huber, a former Emeritus Professor at Purdue University sent a letter to the USDA warning of a new pathogen, unknown to science, “…that appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals, and probably human beings. Huber’s letter was made available to Tom Vilsack well before the USDA’s recent decision to deregulate GE alfalfa, meaning that the USDA deregulated GE alfalfa even after being made aware of this severe threat to human and animal health. Read it here:
http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/gmo-ties-animal-disease This wheatalge is still on the Irish market and is being used by farmers despite countries like France banning it from its markets.
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