Egypt court jails 120 Morsi backers over clashes

Egyptian policemen sit on benches on a street in the capital Cairo An Egyptian court jailed 120 supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi for three years on Wednesday over clashes that left dozens of people dead last year, officials said. The trial is part of a relentless crackdown that has targeted Morsi's supporters since the army ousted him in July.
The defendants were sentenced over clashes pitting Islamist protesters against the security forces and civilian opponents that killed 24 people and wounded 90 in the central Cairo district of Dokki on October 6, the judicial officials said.
Six other defendants were acquitted, and those sentenced can appeal the verdict.
A total of more than 50 people were killed that day in nationwide violence as Egypt marked the anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Since Morsi's ouster his supporters have staged near-daily protests calling for his reinstatement, and their rallies have often descended into street clashes with security forces and civilian opponents.
In the southern city of Assiut, a court handed three Morsi supporters five-year jail terms and three years for 15 others over violence and rioting when security forces dispersed two Islamist sit-ins in Cairo on August 14, leaving hundreds dead.
On Tuesday, 24 students from Al-Azhar Islamic university were sentenced to serve five years in prison for rioting during the constitutional referendum in January, while a minor was referred to a juvenile court.
The run-up to the referendum was marred by arrests of activists who campaigned against the new charter.
In March, 529 Morsi supporters were sentenced to death for the murder and attempted murder of policemen during riots on August 14 in the southern city of Minya.
On April 28, a court will issue the verdict in the trial of the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohamed Badie and another 700 Morsi supporters, who are accused of similar charges.
Source: AFP