Egypt executes 9 for A-G killing

Egyptian authorities on Wednesday executed nine prisoners for their involvement in the killing of an Attorney-General four years ago, officials said.

The execution by hanging took place early in the morning in a Cairo prison before several officials, including a member of the General Prosecutor's Office, a forensic doctor, a cleric and prison administration police.

It was the final act in a four-year-long legal process following the slaying of Egyptian Attorney General Hisham Barakat in a car bombing on June 29, 2015.

The prisoners were identified by the Interior Ministry officials as Ahmed Taha, Abu al-Qasem Ahmed, Ahmed Gamal Hegazi, Mahmoud al-Ahmadi, Abu Bakr al-Sayed, Abdulrahman Soliman, Ahmed Mohamed, Ahmed Mahrous Sayed and Islam Mohamed, Efe news reported.

Those executed were among 28 people sentenced to death for the killing by a court in Cairo in 2017.

Last November, the Court of Cassation confirmed the death sentence of the nine defendants from the group convicted in 2017. The court also handed out sentences to 14 others, ranging from three years in prison to up to 25 years in jail for their involvement.

Egypt's top law enforcement official, Barakat, was almost 65 at the time of his death and was appointed Attorney General in July 2013 following the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi.

Morsi had been the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood before he was ousted on June 30, 2013. The country's government said that the Muslim Brotherhood, designated a terror organization in Egypt, was responsible for Barakat's killing.

Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Egyptian authorities to prevent the execution of the prisoners, saying: "There is no doubt that those involved in deadly attacks must be prosecuted and held accountable for their actions but executing prisoners or convicting people based on confessions extracted through torture is not justice."

--IANS

soni/bg