Egypt: Death sentence for 149 suspected Islamists quashed

The death penalty of 149 suspected Islamists accused of killing 13 Policemen in 2013 has been quashed by Egypt’s Court of Cassation.

Justice officials said the constitutional court ordered that the accused be retried by a court other than that which convicted them a year ago.

The 149 were sentenced to death on February 3 2015 in a speedy trial.

The United Nations has criticised the hasty and arbitrary trials meted out to suspected supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood including deposed President Mohamed Morsi.

Since Mr. Morsi’s ouster on July 3 2013, the courts have sentenced hundreds of Islamists to death including the former president.

International rights organisations have accused incumbent President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of eliminating dissent and instituting a more repressive regime than former president Hosni Mubarak.