Egyptian court upholds jail term for Morsi's nephew

CAIRO

Egypt’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a five-year prison sentence for the nephew of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, according to judicial sources.

The Zagazig Criminal Court had sentenced Mohamed Saeed Morsi and five other suspects, of whom three are fugitives, to five-year prison terms on Feb. 24, 2015. The defendants later appealed.

The defendants were arrested in March 2014 in Zagazig city. They were accused of damaging the rectorate building at Zagazig University in 2013.

The sources said the Supreme Court’s decision was final and that all possibilities of appeal had been exhausted.

Last week, the Zagazig Second Penal Court sentenced Mohamed Morsi's son Osama to three years in prison for "possessing a sharp object".

Egypt was roiled by turmoil when the military deposed Morsi, the country's first freely elected president, in 2013.

Following Morsi’s ouster, Egyptian authorities launched a relentless crackdown on his supporters and his Muslim Brotherhood group, killing hundreds and putting thousands behind bars.

Reporting by Aydogan Kalabalik; Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet