Egypt: Second Mass Trial of 683 Islamists Adjourned

An Egyptian court, on Tuesday, adjourned the second mass trial of 683 alleged Muslim Brotherhood supporters until April 28. They face charges including murder, incitement of violence and sabotage, Al Jazeera reported. Clashes flared up, in August last year, when the security forces stormed two Brotherhood sit-ins in Cairo killing over six hundred people.

The court ruling came a day after it pronounced death sentences to 529 suspected backers of the deposed President Mohamed Morsi over a deadly attack on a police station. Defence lawyers were not permitted to present their case in the court session on Monday which drew widespread criticism with the US and the EU questioning the fairness of proceedings against so many defendants lasting just two days. Only 68 of the 683 defendants were present in the court on Tuesday. The rest were being tried in absentia.

More than thousand people have been killed in the crackdown on Morsi’s supporters and many more arrested, according to Amnesty International. Morsi, who was toppled by the army following mass protests demanding his resignation, is currently on trial in three different cases.

Infoeditor