• 23:51
  • Thursday ,22 May 2014
العربية

54 Muslim Brotherhood members sentenced to life imprisonment

By Ahram Online

Copts and Poliltical Islam

00:05

Thursday ,22 May 2014

54 Muslim Brotherhood members sentenced to life imprisonment

Mansoura governorate's criminal court sentenced Wednesday 54 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to life imprisonment on conviction of incitement to violence and murder, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported

Meanwhile, another court in Mansoura sentenced 24 university students to between two and five years in jail on conviction of protesting illegally, being members of a banned organisation, destroying public property and assaulting police personnel.

Last December, Egypt`s interim government headed then by Hazem El-Beblawi labeled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation.

The decision was backed by a ruling from Cairo's Court of Urgent Matters in February.

In March, 529 Egyptians were handed death sentences for murdering a police officer, attacking a police station, and rioting. The vast majority of sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been blamed for militant attacks since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi — a longtime member of the group — on 3 July 2013.

The attacks have mainly targeted security forces, with the exception of a bomb in South Sinai in February that killed four civilians, including three South Korean tourists.

The Muslim Brotherhood has condemned the attacks and denied any connection to them