Egypt's ousted president sentenced to 20 years in prison

(Baonghean.vn) - On Tuesday, April 21, an Egyptian court sentenced ousted President Mohammed Morsi to 20 years in prison for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters during his time in power.

Images from Mr. Morsi's trial (Photo: Reuters)

This is the first sentence he has received since his ouster and one of many he will face.

Mr Morsi was ousted by the military in July 2013 after a series of street protests against his rule.

Since then, authorities have banned his Muslim Brotherhood movement and arrested thousands of his supporters.

Morsi and 14 other figures from the movement escaped a serious charge of inciting the killing of protesters that could have carried the death penalty.

Several clashes took place between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in late 2012 (Photo: AFP)

Most of the other defendants were also sentenced to 20 years in prison. Morsi's legal team said they would appeal.

Morsi was accused of inciting supporters to kill a journalist and protesters against him in clashes outside the presidential palace in late 2012.

Security was tightened outside the court (Photo: AFP)

A senior Muslim Brotherhood figure, Amr Darrag, called the verdict a "travesty of justice".

"They want to pass a life sentence for democracy in Egypt," he said.

Ramy Ghanem, a lawyer for one of those injured in the clashes, expressed surprise that Morsi had escaped more serious sentences, but told AFP the sentences handed down were "acceptable".

Mr Morsi was ousted by the country's military after a series of protests against his rule (Photo: AP)

Morsi rejected the court's authority, shouting during his first trial that he was the victim of a military coup.

Morsi was Egypt's first democratically elected president, but protests began less than a year after he took power when he issued a decree further expanding his powers.

Pham Tien Hoan

(According to BBC)