By Rainos Mukanya
The sentencing to death of 529 members of the Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood by an Egyptian court on Monday has been condemned by the United Nations and Western countries.
The 529 were handed the death penalty after being convicted of murdering a policeman and attacking people and property by a court in the town of Minya, south of the capital Cairo.
“The mass imposition of the death penalty after a trial that was rife with procedural irregularities is in breach of international law,” said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at a media briefing in Geneva.
He said the trial which was conducted over two days “cannot have met even the most basic requirements for a fair trial.”
The European Union also condemned the sentences as ‘cruel and inhumane.’ EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged the Egyptian authorities to hold ‘a fair and timely trial.’
British foreign secretary William Hague said his country does not condone the death penalty calling on the Egyptian authorities to respect the rights of the defendants. “We urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure full respect for the defendants’ rights and hope they will review this unacceptable sentence,” he said.
The US State Department said they were “deeply concerned and pretty shocked” by the sentences. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said “It defies logic that over 529 defendants could be tried in a two day period in accordance with international standards.
” Human rights organisations have also expressed outrage over the sentences with Amnesty International describing them as “grotesque.”
The death sentences have also resulted in violent protests across Egypt by members of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood. However, the sentences can still be reversed by the supreme religious authority, the Grand Mufti which reviews such cases.
The 529 are part of more than 1300 members of the Muslim Brotherhood on trial for various offences.
The crackdown on members of the group began in July 2013 following the ouster of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.
Morsi whose Presidency was supported by the Muslim Brotherhood is also set to stand trial for offences committed during his short stint at the helm of the North African country.
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