MINYA (Egypt): An Egyptian court on Saturday confirmed death sentences for more than 180 Islamists, including Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badie, after a mass trial that sparked an international outcry.

The court in the central city of Minya initially sentenced 683 people to death, but on Saturday commuted death sentences of four defendants to life in prison, including two women, and acquitted 496 others, prosecutor Abdel Rahim Abdel Malik said.

Since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July last year, hundreds of his supporters and Badie himself have been sentenced to death in trials roundly criticised by human rights watchdogs.

The 183 sentenced to death on Saturday were convicted of involvement in the murder of two policemen and the attempted murder of five others in Minya province on August 14, the day police killed hundreds of Morsi supporters in Cairo clashes.

They were also found guilty of vandalism, attacking public property, bearing arms and joining illegal organisations, Abdel Malik said.

Lawyers said most of those sentenced to death were still on the run.

“The defence lawyers were unable to attend the trial and defend their clients. The court violated the defendants’ rights of defence and gave its decision quickly,” said one, Mohammed Tosson, adding they intended to appeal. Journalists were also barred from attending the trial.

The decision came after the court referred its initial April ruling to Egypt’s top Islamic scholar, as required under Egypt’s legal system.

Defence lawyer Khaled Elkomy said the case was full of “flaws”.

“The judge referred 683 defendants to the grand mufti because he believed that they were guilty... he then returned and acquitted most of them,” Komy said.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2014