Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi reacts behind bars with other Muslim Brotherhood members at a court in the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt on May 16, 2015. (Reuters)
Brussels:
The European Union denounced Sunday the death sentence handed down against Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi and at least 100 others, noting the penalty stemmed from a flawed trial.
"The court decision to seek the death penalty... was taken at the end of a mass trial that was not in line with Egypt's obligations under international law," said the EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini in a statement.
She added that Egypt has to guarantee defendants' rights to a fair trial and to an independent investigation. Her statement said the EU believes the sentence will be revised upon appeal.
"The EU opposes capital punishment under all circumstances," Mogherini said. "The death penalty is cruel and inhumane."
Morsi was among more than 100 defendants ordered by a court on Saturday to face the death penalty for their role in a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising.
He ruled for only a year before mass protests spurred then-army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to overthrow him in July 2013.
The United States expressed alarm Sunday at the death sentences, saying it has "consistently spoken out against the practice of mass trials and sentences".
A government crackdown under Sisi has seen hundreds of Morsi's Islamist supporters killed, thousands jailed and dozens sentenced to death after mass trials which the United Nations has described as "unprecedented in recent history".
"The court decision to seek the death penalty... was taken at the end of a mass trial that was not in line with Egypt's obligations under international law," said the EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini in a statement.
She added that Egypt has to guarantee defendants' rights to a fair trial and to an independent investigation. Her statement said the EU believes the sentence will be revised upon appeal.
"The EU opposes capital punishment under all circumstances," Mogherini said. "The death penalty is cruel and inhumane."
Morsi was among more than 100 defendants ordered by a court on Saturday to face the death penalty for their role in a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising.
He ruled for only a year before mass protests spurred then-army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to overthrow him in July 2013.
The United States expressed alarm Sunday at the death sentences, saying it has "consistently spoken out against the practice of mass trials and sentences".
A government crackdown under Sisi has seen hundreds of Morsi's Islamist supporters killed, thousands jailed and dozens sentenced to death after mass trials which the United Nations has described as "unprecedented in recent history".
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