Egyptian Wants Ex-president Morsi Killed (See Their Reason)

An Egyptian court on Saturday sought the death penalty for former president Mohamed Morsi and 106 other supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in connection with a mass jail break in 2011.

Morsi and his fellow defendants, including the Brotherhood’s top leader, Mohamed Badie, were convicted for killing and kidnapping policemen, attacking police facilities and breaking out of jail during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak.

The request drew condemnations from the Brotherhood, Amnesty International and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

The court, expected to make a final ruling on June 2, also sought capital punishment in a separate case for Brotherhood leader Khairat el-Shater and 15 others for conspiring with foreign militant groups against Egypt.

The rulings, like all capital sentences, will be referred to Egypt’s top religious authority, Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam, for an opinion before any executions can take place. His opinion is not legally binding.

Mursi can appeal the verdict, although he has said the court is not legitimate, describing all legal proceedings against him as part of what he calls a coup staged by former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2013.