Mursi receives 20 years final prison sentence

CAIRO: An Egyptian appeals court upheld on Saturday a 20-year sentence for ousted president Mohamed Mursi, the first final ruling in a string of trials for the deposed leader.

The Court of Cassation also upheld sentences against eight of his co-defendants, including seven who received the same prison term and one who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a judicial official said.

Mursi had been convicted in April 2015 of involvement in deadly clashes outside the presidential palace during his year in power.

His supporters and protesters had clashed after he issued a decree that placed his decisions beyond judicial review, sparking anger that culminated in mass protests against him in June and July 2013.

The military deposed him on July 3 that year, and he has faced several trials since.

His lawyers are appealing a death sentence in one of his trials, on charges of participating in prison breaks and violence against policemen during the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt’s first freely elected civilian president, Mursi came to power after Mubarak’s overthrow.

Mursi’s lawyer, Abdelmoneim Abdel Maqsud, said none of the defendants attended Saturday’s court session, with only the lawyers present.