Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Given Life Sentence In Retrial

An Egyptian court sentenced to life in prison Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie and four other leaders of the group. The accusations date back to July 2013 when deadly clashes broke out during a march in Giza organized by senior Brotherhood members in protest of the ouster of then-president Mohammed Morsi. The Islamist group was designated a terrorist organization in Egypt in December of that year, after the military retook power in the wake of mass demonstrations against Morsi’s rule. Badie and the other defendants—identified as Mohamed el-Beltagi, Essam el-Erian, Safwat Higazi and El-Husseini Antar—were initially sentenced in September 2014, but a higher court later cancelled the rulings and ordered a new hearing. Following Morsi’s removal from office, mass trials were held for thousands of Brotherhood members and supporters, with hundreds receiving lengthy prison terms or death sentences. For his part, Morsi has been imprisoned since shortly after his one-year tenure was forcibly concluded.