Egypt court overturns death sentences for 149 Morsi supporters

Prosecutors had accused defendants of storming police station and killing several policemen following Morsi's ouster

Egypt court overturns death sentences for 149 Morsi supporters

An Egyptian court on Wednesday overturned death sentences handed down against 149 people accused of killing policemen, a judicial source said.

The Court of Cassation accepted an appeal filed by the defendants, who were sentenced to death in February on charges of killing policemen in a mob attack on their station in Kerdasa city near Cairo, the source told Anadolu Agency.

The court also ordered a retrial and overturned a 10-year jail term handed down against another defendant in the case, the source added.

Prosecutors accuse the defendants of storming the Kerdasa police station and killing several policemen in mid-2013 following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in a military coup.

Since Morsi’s overthrow, Egyptian authorities have launched a harsh crackdown on his supporters, killing hundreds and detaining thousands.

The Egyptian government accuses Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood group of carrying out attacks against security forces and declared it a “terrorist organization” in late 2013.

The Muslim Brotherhood denies the government accusations, insisting that it follows peaceful forms of activism.

Anadolu Agency

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