Egypt sentences 139 pro-Morsi protesters

Court offers defendants to pay $700 to be released until higher tribunal decides their final fate

By AP 30 December 2013, 10:53 pm

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Egyptian men try to help save the life of a university student injured during clashes in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday, December 29, 2013. (photo credit: AP/Mohammed Asad)

CAIRO — An Egyptian court convicted 139 supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi on charges ranging from rioting to sabotage, and sentenced each to two-year prison terms.

The mass trial was among scores of court cases and prosecutions in Egypt that have followed the popularly backed July coup that ousted Morsi from power.

The 139 were arrested on July 15 for holding street protests demanding Morsi’s reinstatement. Egypt’s official news agency, MENA, says they clashed with residents and street vendors in a downtown Cairo district, Bab el-Shaariya.

MENA said the court Monday ruled that the defendants could pay nearly $700 in fines to have their sentences suspended until a higher tribunal issues a final verdict.

The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, has held near-daily protests to denounce his ouster.