Morsi Sentencing: Court Upholds Death Sentence in Jailbreak Case; Life Imprisonment For Espionage

An Egyptian court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence handed down to deposed president Mohammed Morsi in relation to a 2011 mass jailbreak case. Morsi also faces life imprisonment -- typically 25 years -- on espionage charges for allegedly spying for Iran, Hamas and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Last month, the Cairo court announced the death penalty against Morsi in connection to the prison break case. The judge then referred the verdict to the Grand Mufti -- Egypt's top religious authority -- for a non-binding opinion on the ruling. On June 2, the court adjourned the hearing, stating that it had yet to receive an opinion from the Grand Mufti.

On Tuesday, the same court in Cairo also pronounced the death sentence against three senior members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood – Khairat El-Shater, Mohamed El-Beltagy and Mohammad Abd el-Aaty -- on spying-related charges. Mohammed Badie, the Brotherhood's seniormost leader, was sentenced to 25 years in jail in the same case, Reuters reported.

Thirteen other defendants were tried in absentia, reported the Associated Press, and their verdicts can reportedly be appealed.