Egypt's Morsi Jailed Over Fresh Rabaa Charges

Egyptian prosecutors on Tuesday jailed ousted President Mohamed Morsi for 15 days over charges related to a sit-in in Cairo that was violently dispersed by security forces in mid-2013.



The Public Prosecution said in a statement that Morsi and 23 leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood will be jailed for 15 days pending investigation into charges related to the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in in eastern Cairo.



Prosecutors accuse the defendants of planning and setting up an armed sit-in in Rabaa al-Adawiya square and use the camp "to carry out acts of violence and terrorism".



The sit-in was violently cleared by security forces, leaving hundreds of pro-Morsi protesters dead.



On Tuesday, Morsi and 12 co-defendants were sentenced to 20 years in prison over the killing of protesters outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace in 2012.



Morsi and his co-defendants were convicted of kidnapping and torturing protesters during clashes between his supporters and opponents outside eastern Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace in December of 2012.



The men, however, escaped the more serious crime of inciting the killing of protesters.



Tuesday's verdict, which remains subject to appeal, was the first to be issued against Morsi since his ouster and detention by the army in mid-2013.



Since then, he has been slapped with numerous criminal charges, which he and his supporters insist are politically motivated.



Morsi was ousted by the military in July of 2013 – after only one year in office – following protests against his presidency.



Since Morsi's ouster, Egyptian authorities have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent that has largely targeted Morsi's Islamist supporters, leaving hundreds dead and thousands behind bars.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire