An Egyptian court Dec. 30 sentenced 139 supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi [4] to two year prison terms on a variety of charges including rioting and sabotage. The protestors were arrested [5] during a July 15 protest in Cairo, where Morsi's supporters demanded his reinstatement. Morsi was ousted [6] from office as president in early July, when the Egyptian military took control of the government and suspended the nation's constitution. Egyptian state media reported [7] earlier in December that Morsi will be tried on charges of espionage and terrorism along with 35 other defendants, many of whom are also former high-level officials and members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Also in December Human Rights Watch [8] (HRW) urged [9] the Egyptian government to reverse its decision to label [10] the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, calling the label politically driven. In September an Egyptian court banned [11] the Brotherhood, after having previously banned [12] several media outlets for their alleged support of the group—the latest in several such moves [13] against the pro-Morsi media.
From Jurist [14], Dec. 31. Used with permission.
