Top appeals court makes the final ruling, accusing the overthrown president for leaking secret state documents to Qatar.
Mohamed Morsi
An Egyptian court has upheld a life sentence for ousted Islamist
president Mohamed Morsi on charges of harming national security by
leaking secret state documents to Qatar while he was in office.
Morsi, democratically elected after Egypt's 2011 revolution, was
removed from his position in mid-2013 by a coup led by Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi, the army chief of the time.
Morsi was immediately arrested after the coup and Sisi has been the
president of the country since 2013. The court also confirmed death
sentences against three defendants in the same case.
There have been no explanations yet for the rulings and they cannot be appealed.
In 2014, Egypt charged Morsi and nine others with endangering
national security by leaking state secrets and sensitive documents to
Qatar.
Sisi's crackdown
Morsi is already serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted for the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012.
Since toppling Morsi, Sisi has clamped down on dissent. Mass trials
have been held for thousands of supporters of Muslim Brotherhood, which
Morsi was a member of, and hundreds have received death sentences or
lengthy prison terms.
Cairo's relations with Doha were already troubled by Qatar's backing of Morsi during the time of the cirisis.
Egypt is one of four Arab nations in a Saudi-led bloc that cut
relations with the Gulf state on June 5, accusing it of backing
"extremist" groups and cooperating with their arch-foe Iran, allegations
Doha has repeatedly denied.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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