A Cairo criminal court handed on Saturday 15-year jail terms to 21 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi over 2013 violence-related charges. The court sentenced 15 other defendants to 10 years and 11 others to seven years. The court also ordered a fine of EGP 10 million ($643,000) for each defendant, as well as five years of probation after their release. The 47 defendants can still appeal their sentences before the Court of Cassation. The case dates back to August 2013 when violence and riots broke out in central Cairo and other governorates following the dispersal sit-ins protesting Morsi's ouster. The defendants were found guilty of illegal assembly, thuggery, murder, and attempted murder of policemen at El-Tebeen Police Station. They were also convicted of possessing weapons, arson, facilitating the escape of prisoners, and being members of an outlawed group.
