Former Egypt President Mohammed Morsi jailed for 20 Years

Egypt’s freely elected former President Mohammed Morsi sentenced to 20 years in prison!

The deposed president of Egypt Mohammed Morsi has been given a sentence of 20 years in prison by the High Court. Morsi and 20 of his co-defendants were charged with violence in December 2012 outside of the Presidential Palace and the imprisonment will take place in a maximum security prison. 

Morsi and his defendant’s members of the Muslim Brotherhood were charged with intimidation, general violence and torture of protestors, while two of the defendants only received a 10 years sentence. Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood associates are also being charged with espionage and escape from prison in the January 25 revolution.

Former President Morsi was one of the 15 high profile members of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders charged with killing of protestors outside the Presidential Palace in Egypt called Ittihadiya. A violent protest outside of the palace caused the death of 10 people and resulted in 700 injured people. 

Morsi was elected into office after Hosni Mubarak was removed from dictatorship in 2011 and was the first freely elected President in Egypt after decades of military rule. Morsi stood inside a cage while the ruling against him was read out by the judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef and the entire proceeding was broadcasted live on State TV. Morsi on the other hand has stated he is determined to reverse 2013 coup staged by the then army chief and now dictator president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. 

The former President Morsi will be appealing the verdict on his sentence. After the verdict was read Morsi and his defendants appeared unaffected and gave the four finger salute which symbolizes resistance to Islamist’s and chanted ‘God is Greatest’. A former minister from Istanbul stated the entire trial was a travesty of justice controlled and scripted by the military government and unsupported by evidence.

Source: Reuters