Morsi avoids new death sentence but six face execution in Qatar spying case

An Egyptian court recommended death sentences on Saturday for six co-defendants of Mohamed Morsi but not for the former president and Muslim Brotherhood leader in their trial on espionage charges.

The presiding judge in the trial asked the mufti, the country's official interpreter of Islamic law, to consider death sentences for the six co-defendants, who included two Al Jazeera journalists, saying the court would convene again on 18 June after the mufti's response.

It will then pronounce its verdict and sentence for the remaining five defendants, including Morsi, on charges of having supplied Qatar with classified documents.

The fact that Morsi has not been sentenced to death at this stage suggests that he will likely avoid receiving the death penalty in this case.

The Qatar espionage case stems from allegations that aides passed on classified state secrets to Doha using intermediaries.

The six facing a death sentence include Ibrahim Mohamed Hilal, whom the prosecution had identified as a senior editor with the Qatar-based Al Jazeera media network.

He is not in Egypt and was tried in absentia.

Al Jazeera said that Hilal was head of news at the network's Arabic channel, while an official said he was also an adviser to the channel's chairman.

Another, also tried in absentia, is Jordanian citizen Alaa Omar Mohamed Sablan, identified by the prosecution as an Al Jazeera producer.

Al Jazeera has rejected allegations that it was collaborating with Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Asmaa Mohamed al-Khatib, identified as a reporter with the pro-Brotherhood Rassd news outlet, was also sentenced to death in absentia.

They were alleged to have assisted in relaying classified material to Doha.

The death sentence was also recommended for Ahmed Abdo Afify, a documentary producer; Mohamed Adel El-Kelany, flight attendant; and Ahmed Ismail, a teaching assistant.

Qatar was a main backer of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement while he was in power between 2012 and July 2013, when the military overthrew and detained him.

Egypt has cracked down on Al Jazeera and imprisoned three of its journalists in Cairo, including Australian Peter Greste and Canadian Mohamed Fahmy, before releasing them by presidential decree following a high-profile publicity campaign waged by the network to highlight their cases.

The defendants will be able to appeal against the rulings before the court of cassation, and those tried in absentia can win a retrial if they hand themselves in.

Egyptian courts have sentenced hundreds of Morsi supporters to death since his overthrow, but many have appealed and won new trials.

Hundreds of his supporters have also been killed by police and security forces in a crackdown in protests since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seized power in 2014.