A military court sentenced Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and other leading figures to 10 years in prison Tuesday in the case known in the media as the "Suez events". Senior member Mohamed El-Beltagy and preacher Safwat Hegazy were amongst the defendants who were handed a 10-year prison sentence over inciting violence and rioting in Suez. The clashes erupted following the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Al-Nahda Square sit-ins in August 2013. The defendants were accused of killing 33 civilians, injuring tens, inciting violence, assaulting military personnel, and setting fire to army vehicles and two churches in Suez. According to the constitution, civilians may stand military trial in cases where they are accused of violently targeting military institutions or personnel. The case involved 199 defendants, 90 of whom were sentenced to life in prison in absentia and 56 others who were handed sentences that range from three to seven years in prison. The court acquitted 50 other defendants. Badie, Beltagi and Hegazi, along with several senior Brotherhood members, are standing trials in several cases since the oustrer of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Badie has previously been sentenced to death in four different cases. The sentences issued on Tuesday can be appealed.
