U.S. Urges Egypt against Executions in Mass Sentencing

The United States on Tuesday urged Egypt not to execute 529 supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi who were given the death penalty in a mass sentencing which has triggered an international outcry.

Deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf called the sentencing "shocking."

"The imposition of the death penalty for 529 defendants after a two-day summary proceeding cannot be reconciled with Egypt's obligations under international human rights law, and its implementation of these sentences, as I said, would be unconscionable," she stressed.

"If Egypt's leaders want to ensure a political transition to democracy that ultimately improves the stability and economic prospects of their country and their people, and that's respected by the Egyptian people, they must unequivocally ensure an environment that is free of intimidation or retribution," Harf said. "This includes ensuring due process and fair trials for all Egyptians accused of crimes."

Meanwhile in Cairo, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood leader went on trial Tuesday along with hundreds of other Islamists before the same judge who passed the death sentences on the 529 convicted rioters.

The trial of Mohamed Badie and around 700 supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi was adjourned after just a few hours until April 28, when judgment and sentencing is expected, a lawyer said.

The roughly 1,200 defendants in the case, including the 529 sentenced on Monday, are accused of murder and attempted murder in connection with the deaths of two policemen during riots in Minya on August 14.

The rioting erupted as news spread that police had killed hundreds of Morsi's supporters while dispersing two Cairo protest camps.

Legal experts said the unprecedented sentences on Monday are likely to be overturned on appeal, after the court rushed through the verdict in just two hearings.

The death sentences sparked an international outcry and sent a chill through opponents of the military-installed regime, which has opened mass trials against more than 2,000 alleged Islamists since the army overthrew Morsi in July.