Sohag Criminal Court sentenced to 28 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi on Thursday for violence that erupted in the Upper Egyptian governorate last August, according to state-owened Al-Ahram. One of the defendants was handed a life sentence, while seven others were sentenced to ten years in jail. Thirteen of the accused were given guilty verdicts that came with five-year sentences, while four were given three years each, and three defendants were each sentenced to one year in prison. The defendants were found guilty of charges including joining a terrorist organisation, rioting to disturb the public peace, blocking roads, distributing leaflets inflammatory against state institutions, possession of firearms, and creating chaos. Ten additional defendants in the case were acquitted of charges. On 14 August 2013 following the dispersal of the pro-Morsi sit-ins at Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Nahda Square, violence erupted across the country, and some retaliated by attacking churches and police stations in various governorates. The Muslim Brotherhood, which was declared a terrorist organisation by the interim government last December, has been subject to an extensive security crackdown.
