Egypt sentences 20 people to death for violence

By Sayed Fathy and Mustafa Eid

CAIRO (AA) - An Egyptian court on Monday handed down preliminary death sentences against 20 people in connection with violence following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.

The 20 were among a group of 156 people accused of attacking a police station and killing two policemen in Kerdasa near Cairo in 2013.

Monday's sentences were referred to Egypt's grand mufti for a non-binding opinion, as required by Egyptian law.

The court will confirm the verdicts on July 2.

In 2015, a court sentenced more than 150 people to death in connection with the violence, but the verdicts were later overturned by Egypt's highest appellate court and ordered a retrial.

Egypt was roiled by violence and unrest after the military deposed Morsi, the country's first freely elected president, in a 2013 military coup.

Since Morsi's overthrow, Egyptian authorities have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent, killing hundreds and sending thousands behind bars.