Egypt sentences 20 people to death for violence

By Sayed Fathy and Mustafa Eid

CAIRO

An Egyptian court on Monday handed down preliminary death sentences against 20 people in connection with violence following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.

The 20 were among a group of 156 people accused of attacking a police station and killing two policemen in Kerdasa near Cairo in 2013.

Monday's sentences were referred to Egypt's grand mufti for a non-binding opinion, as required by Egyptian law.

The court will confirm the verdicts on July 2.

In 2015, a court sentenced more than 150 people to death in connection with the violence, but the verdicts were later overturned by Egypt's highest appellate court and ordered a retrial.

Egypt was roiled by violence and unrest after the military deposed Morsi, the country's first freely elected president, in a 2013 military coup.

Since Morsi's overthrow, Egyptian authorities have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent, killing hundreds and sending thousands behind bars.