Egypt sentences two Morsi supporters to death: judicial sources

Egypt sentences two Morsi supporters to death: judicial sources

CAIRO - An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced to death two supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi convicted of throwing youths off an apartment block roof, judicial sources said.

One youth thrown from the building in Alexandria was killed. The court submitted its verdict for approval to the mufti, the government's official interpreter of Islamic law, the sources said.

The latest death sentences come despite international outrage at Egypt handing down the death penalty to 529 Islamists on Monday after just two hearings.

That verdict can be appealed, and the mufti has upheld death sentences in the past.

The men sentenced to death on Saturday were among 63 people on trial over deadly violence in Alexandria's Sidi Gaber neighbourhood on July 5 last year, two days after the amy overthrew Morsi.

The trial was adjourned until May 19 when the verdicts for the other defendants are expected to be announced.

The violence in Alexandria broke out as supporters and opponents of Morsi took to the streets of Egypt's second city, the first to demand his reinstatement and the others to celebrate the end of his one-year rule.

Amateur video posted on social networks at the time showed men throwing two youths off the roof of the building.

It showed four young men cowering on the rooftop who are followed by several older men, one of them bearded and holding a jihadist flag.

The men are seen throwing stones at the youths and later one is thrown from the roof.

The video goes on to show club-wielding men beating the body of the youth.

Another man is later thrown from the roof but is only injured.

Egyptian authorities later said only one youth was killed in the attack and that one man had been arrested in connection with his death.

 

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