EGYPT COURT JAILS FOR LIFE 11 BROTHERHOOD MEMBERS

Cairo, 28 Syawal 1434/4 September 2013 (MINA) –  An Egyptian military court has sentenced 11 Muslim Brotherhood members to life in prison for violence targeting the army in the port city of Suez last month.

Forty-five other Brotherhood members were handed five-year jail terms on Tuesday (3/9), and eight defendants were acquitted, Al Jazeera reported as monitored by MINA (Mi’raj News Agency).

The men were accused of “shooting and adopting violent means” against the army in Suez on August 14 following a military crackdown in the streets of Cairo against supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi that killed hundreds of them.

The Brotherhood was founded in 1928 and formally dissolved by Egypt’s army rulers in 1954. 

The Brotherhood operated for decades as a formally outlawed organisation until veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak was deposed in 2011.

The movement then won a series of elections culminating in last year’s presidential vote.

The military deposed Morsi on July 3 after mass protests against his rule.

Since then, most of the Brotherhood’s top leadership has been arrested and face accusation of inciting violence.(T/P03/P04)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)