Egypt Court Refers 70 Civilians To Military Trial

Egypt's prosecution on Saturday referred 70 civilians to military tribunals, accusing them of burning down churches and Christian schools in the central province of Minya in August of 2013, a judicial source has said.



The source said the prosecution accused the 70 civilians of having links with the Muslim Brotherhood – the movement from which ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi hails – and burning down churches and public facilities in Minya following the dispersal of two camps supporting the Islamist President in August, 2013.



In October of 2014, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi approved a new law that opened the door for referring civilians to military tribunals in cases that include violations against state or military institutions. The law was, however, criticized by some rights groups.



Around 3,000 civilians have been referred to military trials since the application of the law in October of 2013, according to an Anadolu Agency survey.



Egyptian authorities have been cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood, its members and leaders since Morsi's ouster by the army in July of 2013.



The government accuses the Brotherhood of standing behind rampant violence across Egypt, but the movement says it is committed to peaceful protest against Morsi's ouster.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Minye