Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Sentenced To Jail For Insulting Egypt Court

Leaders of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood were sentenced to three years for insulting the Egyptian court for overturning the conviction of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the deaths of nearly 300 demonstrators during the Arab Spring revolution in 2011. Mohammed Badie, the Brotherhood’s general guide, was among 25 Brotherhood members sentenced Sunday.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood have become accustomed to these mass sentencings, something that has been widely criticized by the West and human rights groups. Reuters reported Sunday's sentencing followed a rowdy court protest that erupted shortly after the charges against Mubarak were dropped. A number of the defendants reportedly began chanting “void, void” in response to some of the judge's remarks. Even though the courts have a widespread reputation for arbitrary sentences, Sunday’s action was considered unusually harsh. In addition to jail time, the judge also fined each of the defendantts 10,000 Egyptian pounds, or roughly $1,399 each.

Other prominent Muslim Brotherhood figures were also sentenced Sunday, including Brotherhood Deputy General Guide Rashad al-Bayoumi, former parliament Speaker Saad al-Katatni, and ex-parliamentarians Mohamed Beltagy, Sobhi Saleh and Essam Erian.