683 Muslim Brotherhood supporters, including the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, have been sentenced to death in Minya, according to lawyers of the defendants. The paperwork to finalize the death sentences, the largest ever in one case, will now be sent to the Grand Mufti for approval. Normally sending paperwork to the Grand Mufti is purely procedural, but it remains to be seen whether this case will require further scrutiny. The 683 defendants, including Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie, had been standing trial over violence in Minya in 2013. The Minya Criminal Court has set June 21 as the date to review the Grand Mufti’s decision to confirm whether or not all 683 will receive the death penalty. It is unclear how many of the 683 have been tried in absentia. In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs explains that Egyptian law dictates that defendants tried in absentia receive the maximum sentence possible. However, upon turning themselves in (or when captured), they are retried and new evidence is heard. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also added that all sentences can be appealed. Death sentences reversed Meanwhile, the…
