Brotherhood Supreme Guide Badie, 14 others jailed for life

Cairo: Top Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 14 others were on Monday sentenced to life in prison by an Egyptian court on charges of murder and inciting violence during a protest near Cairo last year.

The Giza Criminal Court sentenced Badie, 71, and 14 others on various charges that also included their links to terrorist organisation and possessing unlicensed weapons.

Badie, the general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, is among hundreds of the organisation’s members who have already been sentenced to death in mass trials in March.

His sentence was later reduced to life in prison after Egypt’s Grand Mufti, who according to Egyptian law must review capital punishment verdicts, asked the court to rethink its ruling. The Grand Mufti’s review is not binding to the court, though.

Badie was one of thousands of Brotherhood figures and supporters arrested in a deadly crackdown following the army’s toppling in July last year of former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Morsi has been in jail since he was overthrown and is on trial for inciting the killing of opposition protesters in December 2012 outside the presidential palace.

Last month, Badie and seven others were sentenced to life in prison in a separate case for inciting violence and being involved in clashes around the Istiqama Mosque in Giza on July 23 last year.

The supporters of Brotherhood, labelled a terrorist organisation by Egyptian authorities, have often held protests against the military-backed government, often resulting in clashes.