Life sentence against Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood leader overturned

An Egyptian court on Monday overturned a life sentence handed to Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Mohamed Badie, saying that the trial against him was “flawed”.

The court of cassation also overturned the ruling against 12 other key Brotherhood figures, including deputy leader Khairat al-Shater. Four other death sentences against lower level members, also convicted in the highly controversial mass trials, were also struck down on appeal.

A retrial for the case brought against the men accused of "inciting murder" and "attempted murder" during protests in June 2013 in which nine people were killed will now be scheduled, Egyptian state daily al-Ahram said.

Following the ousting of Egypt’s first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, who is from the now banned Muslim Brotherhood, hundreds of the group’s supporters were sentenced to death in mass trials and many others given long life sentences. Tens of thousands of others have also been arrested. 

In recent months, however, Egypt’s appeals courts have begun to strike down some of the verdicts, either commuting life sentences or ordering retrials. 

Badie was sentenced to death in two separate cases last year. The courts have now issued re-trials in both cases but the Brotherhood’s spiritual guide has been embroiled in some 40 separate cases and still faces six life sentences in separate cases, al-Ahram said.

In June 2015 an Egyptian court upheld the death sentence for Morsi for participating in prison breaks and encouraging violence against police, although Morsi's state-appointed lawyer subsequently decided to appeal the case.

Morsi has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of Egypt’s courts and rulings, insisting that he continues to be Egypt’s legitimate president.