Lawyers in Minya to appeal 37 death sentences

A court in Minya on Monday confirmed death sentences against 37 people for killing a police officer, 492 others had their sentences reduced to life imprisonment

Lawyers of 37 people sentenced to death in Minya have confirmed they will appeal the verdicts.
The appeals will be submitted after the judge publishes the reasons for his decision within 60 days, the lawyers added.
Minya criminal court on Monday issued its final verdict in the Matay police station case, confirming death sentences against 37 defendants and commuting 492 others to life imprisonment.
The 529 defendants were accused of attacking Matay police station and killing a police officer on 14 August 2014, following the dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo.
They were also accused of destroying public and private property, joining a banned group, rioting and inciting violence.
It was the biggest mass death sentence in Egyptian legal history. It caused an outcry inside and outside Egypt.
Monday's final verdict was announced after the grand mufti had finished reviewing the original 529 death sentences.
The grand mufti's view is not binding but must be sought before death sentences are carried out.
In a separate trial, the same court on Monday sentenced 683 people to death for attacking Adawa police station and killing an officer.
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