The United Nations and Washington have condemned death sentences handed to 683 alleged Islamists including Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie in an Egyptian court.The court in the southern province of Minya sparked an international outcry with its initial sentencing last month, amid an extensive crackdown on supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
The United States urged Egypt to reverse yesterday's court decision.
"Today's verdict, like the one last month, defies even the most basic standards of international justice," the White House said.
"This verdict cannot be reconciled with Egypt's obligations under international human rights law."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was "alarmed" by the death sentences and feared it could impact the entire region, his spokesman said.
"Verdicts that clearly appear not to meet basic fair trial standards, particularly those which impose the death penalty, are likely to undermine prospects for long-term stability," Ban said according to a spokesman.
But Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy yesterday suggested the Minya court ruling could yet be overturned, saying "don't jump to conclusions that the case is determined one way or the other, before it is... let the legal process follow through."
A statement issued later by the Egyptian embassy in Washington "in response to critical US statements" insisted that the country's judiciary was independent, and that procedures were underway to appeal.
The Minya court, presided over by judge Said Youssef Sabry, is set to confirm the death sentences on June 21. However, it also reversed 492 of 529 previous death sentences it passed in March, commuting most of them to life imprisonment.
In Cairo, another court banned the April 6 youth movement that spearheaded the 2011 revolt which toppled strongman Hosni Mubarak, following accusations it defamed Egypt and colluded with foreign parties.
Ban also expressed concern at that decision and the jailing of three "emblematic figures" of the 2011 uprising including two founders of the youth movement.
Those sentenced at Minya yesterday 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 during clashes in Cairo.
Of the 683 sentenced, only 73 are in custody, prosecutor Abdel Rahim Abdel Malek said. The others have a right to a retrial if they turn themselves in.
Yesterday's hearing lasted just 10 minutes, said Khaled Elkomy, a defence lawyer who was in court.
He said 60 percent of the 529 defendants sentenced in March, who include teachers and doctors, can prove they were not present during the unrest in Minya when the police station was attacked.
