Embattled former Egyptian President, Mohamed Morsi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court in Cairo.
Morsi was jailed in connection with the deaths of at least 10 people who were killed in clashes between his supporters and opposition demonstrators against his government outside the presidential palace in December 2012.
The judge while delivering the judgment at the Cairo Criminal Court however dropped all murder charges in relation to the deaths and adding that the sentence against Morsi was linked to the disproportionate “show of force” that led to the deaths and the subsequent unlawful detention of protesters.
The judge also jailed 12 other Muslim Brotherhood officials.
The verdict is only the first to be issued against Morsi as he faces the death penalty in other pending trials.
A prominent Muslim Brotherhood member, Amr Darrag, has condemned the sentence, saying that it “was a travesty of justice scripted and controlled by government”.
He also accused the authorities of “passing a life sentence for democracy in Egypt.”
Morsi is presently being detained at a high security prison near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.
He had previously spent four months at an undisclosed location
Morsi was sworn in on 30 June 2012, as Egypt’s first democratically elected president. He succeeded former president Hosni Mubarak, who left the office after being forced to resign on 11 February 2011.
On 30 June 2013, thousands of people rallied across Egypt calling for President Morsi’s resignation from office. This led to clashes between groups loyal to the president and those who yearned for change of guard.
After his eventual overthrow, Morsi has faced several charges including inciting the killing of protesters and espionage for foreign militant groups including Hezbollah and Hamas.
He was also accused for being responsible for breaking into the Wadi el-Natroun Prison, espionage for Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, deception of Egyptians with Nahda Project, and Treason, in addition to “insulting the judiciary,” a charge still under investigation
Tuesday’s ruling can be appealed by the ex-president’s counsels