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| Hundreds of Egyptians Sentenced to Death in Killing of a Police Officer | Hundreds of Egyptians Sentenced to Death in Killing of a Police Officer |
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| CAIRO — A criminal court in the city of Minya sentenced 529 detainees to death on Monday after a single session of their mass trial, convicting them of murder for the killing of a police officer in the rioting last summer after the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. | CAIRO — A criminal court in the city of Minya sentenced 529 detainees to death on Monday after a single session of their mass trial, convicting them of murder for the killing of a police officer in the rioting last summer after the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. |
| Legal experts called the case the largest mass trial or conviction in the history of modern Egypt. It also was a surprising acceleration of the nine-month-old crackdown on Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters and liberal dissenters that followed his removal last July. | Legal experts called the case the largest mass trial or conviction in the history of modern Egypt. It also was a surprising acceleration of the nine-month-old crackdown on Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters and liberal dissenters that followed his removal last July. |
| “We have never heard of anything of this magnitude before, inside or outside of Egypt, that was within a judicial system — not just a mass execution,” said Karim Medhat Ennarah, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights who specializes in criminal justice. | “We have never heard of anything of this magnitude before, inside or outside of Egypt, that was within a judicial system — not just a mass execution,” said Karim Medhat Ennarah, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights who specializes in criminal justice. |
| “It is quite ridiculous,” he said, arguing that it would be impossible to prove that 500 people each played a meaningful role in the killing of a single police officer, especially after just one session of the trial. “Clearly this is an attempt to intimidate and terrorize the opposition, and specifically the Islamist opposition, but would the judge get so deeply involved in politics up to this point?” | “It is quite ridiculous,” he said, arguing that it would be impossible to prove that 500 people each played a meaningful role in the killing of a single police officer, especially after just one session of the trial. “Clearly this is an attempt to intimidate and terrorize the opposition, and specifically the Islamist opposition, but would the judge get so deeply involved in politics up to this point?” |
| Lawyers said the verdict was almost certain to be overturned on appeal. About 400 of those convicted are fugitives who were sentenced in absentia; under Egyptian law, they will be entitled to a retrial if they are apprehended. | Lawyers said the verdict was almost certain to be overturned on appeal. About 400 of those convicted are fugitives who were sentenced in absentia; under Egyptian law, they will be entitled to a retrial if they are apprehended. |
| The verdict was the latest in a string of harsh and speedy sentences against supposed Islamist supporters of the deposed president, including a 10-day trial that recently ended in sentences of 17 years each for a group of student protesters. Minya, the site of the new trial, is an Islamist stronghold south of Cairo along the Nile, and news reports said a similar mass trial, including 600 defendants accused of violence against the new military-backed government, was set to begin there on Tuesday. | The verdict was the latest in a string of harsh and speedy sentences against supposed Islamist supporters of the deposed president, including a 10-day trial that recently ended in sentences of 17 years each for a group of student protesters. Minya, the site of the new trial, is an Islamist stronghold south of Cairo along the Nile, and news reports said a similar mass trial, including 600 defendants accused of violence against the new military-backed government, was set to begin there on Tuesday. |
| Legal analysts suggested that the judges issuing the verdicts might be caught up in the fervor of animosity toward Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters that has swept other segments of society since his ouster, and that they might also be acting on instructions from security officials, moving voluntarily to curry favor with the new authorities. | Legal analysts suggested that the judges issuing the verdicts might be caught up in the fervor of animosity toward Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters that has swept other segments of society since his ouster, and that they might also be acting on instructions from security officials, moving voluntarily to curry favor with the new authorities. |
| Even though the sentences were almost certain to be reduced, “the staggering harshness and speed of the verdict still show how profoundly the basic institutions of the Egyptian state are malfunctioning,” Nathan Brown, an expert on the Egyptian judiciary at George Washington University, wrote in an email. “The fact that cooler heads are likely to weigh in is only limited consolation for the degree to which mindless repression still seems to be the order of the day.” | Even though the sentences were almost certain to be reduced, “the staggering harshness and speed of the verdict still show how profoundly the basic institutions of the Egyptian state are malfunctioning,” Nathan Brown, an expert on the Egyptian judiciary at George Washington University, wrote in an email. “The fact that cooler heads are likely to weigh in is only limited consolation for the degree to which mindless repression still seems to be the order of the day.” |
| Egyptian state news media described the defendants as members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that backed Mr. Morsi and dominated parliamentary elections two years ago. After removing Mr. Morsi last summer, the military-led government killed more than 1,000 of his supporters in mass shootings at demonstrations against the takeover, and since then it has arrested many thousands of others. | Egyptian state news media described the defendants as members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that backed Mr. Morsi and dominated parliamentary elections two years ago. After removing Mr. Morsi last summer, the military-led government killed more than 1,000 of his supporters in mass shootings at demonstrations against the takeover, and since then it has arrested many thousands of others. |
| In December, the government formally outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, declaring it a terrorist group and subjecting its members or supporters to heavy penalties. | In December, the government formally outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, declaring it a terrorist group and subjecting its members or supporters to heavy penalties. |
| The verdict issued on Monday, however, concerned events that took place last August, about six weeks after the military takeover, when security forces used deadly force to disperse huge protest sit-ins. The assault set off a backlash against the police around the country, and Minya, which was a center of a militant insurgency two decades ago, was the scene of some of the worst violence. | The verdict issued on Monday, however, concerned events that took place last August, about six weeks after the military takeover, when security forces used deadly force to disperse huge protest sit-ins. The assault set off a backlash against the police around the country, and Minya, which was a center of a militant insurgency two decades ago, was the scene of some of the worst violence. |
| Angry Morsi supporters ransacked several churches, blaming Egypt’s Christian minority for backing the takeover, and assaulted at least one local police headquarters. | Angry Morsi supporters ransacked several churches, blaming Egypt’s Christian minority for backing the takeover, and assaulted at least one local police headquarters. |
| The 529 defendants sentenced on Monday were convicted of attacking the police station, killing an officer and trying to kill two others during the rioting, the state newspaper Al Ahram reported. The newspaper said that the verdict came at the start of the second session of the trial, and that sixteen defendants were acquitted. | |
| The London office of the Muslim Brotherhood, acting on behalf of the outlawed Egyptian branch, said in a statement that the group would seek to appeal, calling the decision “a clear violation of all norms of humane and legal justice.” | The London office of the Muslim Brotherhood, acting on behalf of the outlawed Egyptian branch, said in a statement that the group would seek to appeal, calling the decision “a clear violation of all norms of humane and legal justice.” |
| The Egyptian government, evidently trying to pre-empt outrage at the verdict, issued its own statement emphasizing that “the Egyptian judiciary is entirely independent and is not influenced in any way by the executive branch.” It noted that “the sentence was issued by an independent court after careful study of the case,” and that the decision is “only the first verdict in the trial process,” including appeals to higher courts. | |
| Scholars said the verdict appeared to be without precedent in Egypt, in part because it was issued by a regular court rather than by a military tribunal or other special security panel. | Scholars said the verdict appeared to be without precedent in Egypt, in part because it was issued by a regular court rather than by a military tribunal or other special security panel. |
| Sixty years ago, President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the military strongman who set the template for the Arab world, jailed thousands of Islamists and executed many of their leaders as he consolidated power. But he set up special tribunals outside the regular judiciary for his show trials. | Sixty years ago, President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the military strongman who set the template for the Arab world, jailed thousands of Islamists and executed many of their leaders as he consolidated power. But he set up special tribunals outside the regular judiciary for his show trials. |
| “Toward the end of his life, Nasser is even said to have told a group of judges that he did it that way to avoid implicating them in what he felt he had to do,” said Professor Brown of George Washington. He called the verdict “a sign of how much at least some parts of the judiciary are fully on board with the new order — indeed, their enthusiasm is undermining its international reputation.” | “Toward the end of his life, Nasser is even said to have told a group of judges that he did it that way to avoid implicating them in what he felt he had to do,” said Professor Brown of George Washington. He called the verdict “a sign of how much at least some parts of the judiciary are fully on board with the new order — indeed, their enthusiasm is undermining its international reputation.” |
| The conviction on Monday followed the release on bail the previous day of a celebrated activist and blogger, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who had been jailed for three months on charges of organizing an unauthorized protest in Cairo. He continues to await trial and a possible jail sentence. | The conviction on Monday followed the release on bail the previous day of a celebrated activist and blogger, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who had been jailed for three months on charges of organizing an unauthorized protest in Cairo. He continues to await trial and a possible jail sentence. |
| Also on Monday, another court in Cairo continued the trial of several journalists for the pan-Arab news channel Al Jazeera who have been charged with broadcasting false reports of unrest in Egypt as part of an Islamist conspiracy to bring down the new government. At least one of the Egyptian journalists has been imprisoned since August. | |
| Three others detained in December worked for Al Jazeera’s English-language affiliate, including Peter Greste, an Australian who previously worked for the BBC, and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, a Canadian citizen who previously worked as a producer for CNN. Mr. Fahmy’s arm was injured and in a sling at the time of his arrest, and his family says that because of negligent medical treatment in prison he has now lost the ability to move it. Appearing at the hearing Monday in the metal cage used to hold defendants in Egyptian criminal courts, Mr. Fahmy could be seen using his teeth to try to remove his white prison jacket because his right arm was immobile. | Three others detained in December worked for Al Jazeera’s English-language affiliate, including Peter Greste, an Australian who previously worked for the BBC, and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, a Canadian citizen who previously worked as a producer for CNN. Mr. Fahmy’s arm was injured and in a sling at the time of his arrest, and his family says that because of negligent medical treatment in prison he has now lost the ability to move it. Appearing at the hearing Monday in the metal cage used to hold defendants in Egyptian criminal courts, Mr. Fahmy could be seen using his teeth to try to remove his white prison jacket because his right arm was immobile. |
| Al Jazeera’s coverage is notably sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood; indeed, its Arabic-language affiliate is the only news outlet available in Egypt in that language that does not support the takeover. But the court session was devoted to bickering between prosecutors and defense lawyers over the details of whether the defendants had the proper official permits for their telecommunications equipment, with no discussion of the core charges of conspiring with the Islamists against the state. | |
| Two police officers called as witnesses said they did not remember many facts of the case, and a judge suspended the trial until March 31. “They seem to be suffering from collective amnesia,” Mr. Greste said through the cage during a break in the trial. “We have been inside for three months, and we have not seen a single shred of evidence against us.” | |
| Monday’s decision in Minya may indicate a determination by prosecutors or judges to deal more harshly with Islamists in the places where they constitute the most serious threat to the new order. | Monday’s decision in Minya may indicate a determination by prosecutors or judges to deal more harshly with Islamists in the places where they constitute the most serious threat to the new order. |
| The decision also comes as Egypt is awaiting a formal announcement of a presidential run by Field Marshal Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, the defense minister, who led Mr. Morsi’s ouster. Field Marshal Sisi has given every indication that an announcement is imminent. Election authorities appear to be awaiting his announcement before setting an election date, and several would-be challengers have dropped out of the race on the premise that it will be slanted in his favor. Parliamentary elections are expected to follow, and the military-led government may seek to keep a tight lid on the Islamist opposition until those polls have been completed. |