Egypt court cancels 5-year sentences against 18 Morsi supporters, orders retrial

Egypt’s Court of Cassation scrapped Saturday five-year prison sentences against 18 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and ordered a retrial on violence-related charges.

The 18 were previously found guilty of rioting, sabotage and attempting to storm Kafr El-Shiekh Police Station amid violence that swept the nation after the bloody dispersal of two pro-Morsi vigils in Cairo in August 2013.

They were arrested after a protest escalated into clashes with locals opposing Morsi’s rule.

Following Morsi’s ouster, Egypt’s judiciary declared his group, the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organisation.

Police have launched a crackdown on his supporters, arresting thousands mainly on protest law violations.

Morsi is currently imprisoned on a number of charges, including espionage with Hamas and Qatar. So far he has been sentenced to both death and life in prison. His sentences are currently under appeal.

source: Ahram online