Egypt sentences top leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood to death

CAIRO, Egypt

Egypt on Monday sentenced eight members of the Muslim brotherhood to death for their role in the deadly violence of 2013, which followed the military's ouster of Mohamed Morsi, the country's first democratically elected president.

Those condemned to death by the Emergency Supreme Court of State Security sitting in Cairo included the Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohamad Badie. 

Badie was the eighth Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood and led the group between 2010 and 2013, when he was arrested during the army coup against the Morsi government.

Some of the men condemned have already been sentenced to death in other cases.

The men were accused of conspiring to topple the government of Abdel Fattah el Sissi, who himself came to power after overthrowing Mohamed Morsi. 

They were also accused of killing policemen and destroying public property.In July 2013, the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood organised a massive sit-in in the Rabaa al Adawiya to denounce the the coup.

Security forces later raided the square and killed hundreds of people in a single day in what they termed a counter-terrorism operation.

Morsi died in prison in 2019.