Egypt sentences Morsi supporters to lengthy jail terms over Suez unrest

 

An Egyptian military court has given lengthy prison sentences to the supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi over conviction of attacking the army.

 

One person was jailed for life, three people to 15 years and 45 others to five years by the military court for open firing at soldiers in Suez city last month, BBC reports

 

The unrest in Suez, which is 140 km to the east of Cairo, on 14 and 16 August had left more than 30 dead.

 

The riots followed a deadly crackdown by security forces on two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo where hundreds of people got killed on 14 August.

 

Although it's not clear if the convicts were Brotherhood members, the verdicts would be the first affecting the Islamist group since the military launched a campaign against it after ousting Morsi, the report added.

 

Earlier, the state prosecutors had announced Morsi's first trial over charges of inciting murder and violence outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo in December 2012 that led to the deaths of at least seven people during clashes between opposition protesters and Brotherhood supporters.

 

A Cairo court had also ordered the closure of four television stations, including the Brotherhood's Ahrar 25 TV and al-Jazeera's Egyptian affiliate Mubasher Misr, for operating illegally and supporting Brotherhood.