Cairo: An Egyptian court sentenced 119 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood of former president Mohammad Mursi to three years each in prison on Wednesday in connection with protests last October against his overthrow, judicial sources said.
More than 50 people were killed in the October 6 protests called by Mursi supporters, one of the bloodiest days since his overthrow by the military on July 3. Judge Hazem Hashad acquitted six people in the case. They faced charges including unlawful assembly and thuggery.
The army-backed authorities have banned the Muslim Brotherhood and driven it underground, killing hundreds of its supporters in the weeks after Mursi was toppled and arresting thousands more.
In another case, a court in southern Egypt sentenced 529 Mursi supporters to death last month. The ruling has drawn criticism from rights groups and Western governments.
The Brotherhood was Egypt’s best organised political party until last year but the government has declared it a terrorist group and accused it of turning to violence since Mursi was overthrown following mass protests against his rule.
The Brotherhood says the group remains committed to peacefully resisting what it views as a military coup.
