Minya – The United Nations and Washington have condemned death sentences handed to 683 alleged Islamists including Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie in an Egyptian court on Monday after a brief hearing.
The court in the southern province of Minya sparked an international outcry with its initial sentencing last month, amid an extensive crackdown on supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
The crackdown has extended to secular-leaning dissidents who supported Morsi’s overthrow but have since turned on the army-installed regime.
The United States urged Egypt to reverse the court decision.
“Today’s verdict, like the one last month, defies even the most basic standards of international justice,” the White House said. “This verdict cannot be reconciled with Egypt’s obligations under international human rights law.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was “alarmed” by the death sentences and feared it could impact the entire region, his spokesman said.
“Verdicts that clearly appear not to meet basic fair trial standards, particularly those which impose the death penalty, are likely to undermine prospects for long-term stability,” Ban said according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The UN chief plans to discuss his concerns with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy later this week.
The Minya court, presided over by judge Said Youssef Sabry, is set to confirm the death sentences on June 21. However, it also reversed 492 of 529 previous death sentences it passed in March, commuting most of them to life imprisonment.
In Cairo, another court banned the April 6 youth movement that spearheaded the 2011 revolt which toppled strongman Hosni Mubarak, following accusations it defamed Egypt and colluded with foreign parties.
Ban also expressed concern at that decision and the jailing of three “emblematic figures” of the 2011 uprising including two founders of the youth movement. ….
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