Egypt Brotherhood leader slapped with life sentence

By Aydogan Kalabalik

CAIRO (AA) – An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced Mohamed Badie, leader of Egypt’s now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, to life in prison for his alleged role in what have become popularly known as the "Ismailia events" in mid-2013, local judicial sources told Anadolu Agency.

The "Ismailia events" refer to alleged acts of violence committed by Brotherhood members in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia following a 2013 military coup that saw President Mohamed Morsi -- a Brotherhood leader -- ousted and imprisoned.

According to judicial sources who spoke anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to media, Badie -- along with 35 other opponents of Egypt’s al-Sisi regime -- was sentenced to life behind bars (at a maximum of 25 years) for his alleged role in violence that followed the 2013 coup.

Monday’s court sentences are still subject to appeal in another court.

Defendants in the case also included 20 individuals who were ultimately acquitted; nine who were sentenced to 15 years in prison; 20 sentenced to 10 years behind bars and 20 slapped with three-year jail terms.

In July of 2013, Egypt’s then army chief, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, led a military coup against Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president.

One year later, al-Sisi was elected president.

Morsi, for his part, currently faces a host of criminal charges that he and his supporters -- along with many independent observers -- say have been trumped up for political purposes.

*Anadolu Agency Correspondent Ahmet Sait Akcay contributed to this report from Ankara.