Cairo: An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced 17 people to life in prison each on charges of involvement in killing a young reporter in violence unleashed by Islamists in Cairo nearly four years ago, legal sources said.
The Cairo Criminal Court also issued 15-year jail terms to nine co-defendants each in the same case related to the killing of journalist Mayada Ashraf and two other civilians in clashes that erupted in March 2014 between followers of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and police in the Cairo suburb of Ain Shams, the sources added.
The 21-year-old journalist was in the area to cover the unrest. Her killing outraged Egypt’s media community, triggering calls for authorities to put in place measures to protect field reporters.
The court also acquitted 15 others in the same case.
The defendants were charged with premeditated murder, belonging to an outlawed group and illegal possession of arms.
The rulings can be appealed.
Egypt saw a wave of violence after the army’s 2013 overthrow of president Mohammad Mursi, a senior Brotherhood official, following large-scale protests against his one-year rule.
Hundreds of the Islamist group’s leaders and members have since been arrested and handed down varying sentences for inciting violence or direct involvement in violence.
Egyptian authorities have designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation.
