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TV: Egypt’s court overturns life sentence for Morsi

Egypt's Court of Cassation has ordered retrial in the case for deposed president who had a death sentence overturned earlier

CAIRO, November 22. /TASS/.Egypt’s Court of Cassation has overturned a life sentence against deposed president Mohamed Morsi and 21 other high-ranking members of the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist organization in the treason and espionage case, the Egyptian TV reported. The court has ordered retrial.

On June 16, 2015, Egypt’s Criminal Court upheld a death sentence (which corresponds to 25 years behind bars in Egypt) for Morsi in a treason and espionage case. According to the court, the Islamists had been adamant in coming to power at all costs under the cover of religion, while later Morsi tried to stay in power by whipping up discord among the Egyptians. The judges also stated that the Muslim Brotherhood members had been operating in cahoots with the Palestinian Hamas movement while plotting terror attacks, they had also carried out a widespread propaganda campaign in order to defame Egypt, sent their activists to the Gaza Strip to train, and handed classified information over to Iran.

Three Muslim Brotherhood leaders in custody were sentenced to life in prison in this case while 13 other leaders were sentenced in absentia.

On November 15, Egypt’s Court of Cassation allowed the former president and other Islamist leaders’ appeal against the death sentences regarding the jailbreak case in January 2011 and involvement in mass riots. The court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial.