CAIRO — An Egyptian court sentenced Mohamed Badie, leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and 13 other senior members of the group to death for inciting chaos and violence, and gave a life term to a US-Egyptian citizen for ties to the Brotherhood. The sentences, pronounced at a televised court session on Saturday, can be appealed before Egypt's highest civilian court in a process that could take years to reach a final verdict. US-Egyptian citizen Mohamed Soltan was sentenced to life in jail for supporting the movement and transmitting false news. He is the son of Brotherhood preacher Salah Soltan, who was among those sentenced to death. Badie is the Brotherhood's General Guide and has already been sentenced to several death and life sentences. His deputy Khairat El-Shater was given a life sentence on Saturday. Mohamed Soltan, 27, arrested in August 2013, had been on hunger strike while in prison. “He deserves the punishment because of the money and instructions from the Brotherhood which were found with him, and for spreading chaos and horror in society,” presiding Judge Mohamed Nagi Shehata told reporters. Sara Mohamed, a relative of the Soltan family, said they would appeal the verdict. Saturday's session sentenced 51 people. Those who were not sentenced to death were given a life sentence. The long list of charges included leading and funding an outlawed group, overturning the constitution and planning to spread chaos, a court source said. Known as the "Rabaa Operations Room" case, the prosecution accused the defendants of organizing months of unrest and protests against the ouster of Mohamed Morsi, a senior Brotherhood figure himself now on trial. The Rabaa Al-Adawiya protest camp in Cairo was dispersed by police on August 14, 2013 in a 12-hour-long operation. Mohamed Soltan was shot in the arm during the dispersal, and was arrested days later as police hunted down Islamist activists who had fled the protest camp. Police moved in to disperse the camp after weeks of failed European and US-brokered negotiations with the Brotherhood, who publicly insisted on Morsi's return. The government has blacklisted the movement as a terrorist organization amid a spike in militant attacks that have killed dozens of policemen and soldiers. The deadliest attacks have been claimed by jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula and in Cairo, and the Brotherhood insists it is committed to non-violence. But decapitated and driven underground, the Islamist movement is believed to have radicalized with members adopting militant tactics against policemen. — Agencies
