Egypt sentences 529 members of Muslim Brotherhood to death

[JI7]

Source: washington post

An Egyptian court sentenced to death 529 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood on Monday on a variety of charges, including murdering a police officer and attacking police, according to reports published this morning.

Among the accused are several leaders of deposed President Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, among them spiritual leader Mohammed Badie.

It represents one of the most sweeping actions against the Brotherhood since Field Marshal Abdel Fatah al-Sissi took power.

“The court has decided to sentence to death 529 defendants, and 16 were acquitted,” lawyer Ahmed al-Sharif told Reuters. The defendants have been on trial since Saturday in Minya south of the capital. The sentence arrived on the second day of the hearing.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/03/24/egypt-sentences-529-members-of-muslim-brotherhood-to-death/?tid=hp_mm

[Ash_F]

1. Wow. /nt

[reddread]

2. interesting to recall who here supported this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=601103

[another_liberal]

4. How many do you think will even own up to their support of the coup then?

Very damn few would be my guess.

[reddread]

6. I think they are too busy right now

working on their Ukraine and Venezuala contracts.

[dipsydoodle]

15. Yes.

They are quite visibly.

[Scootaloo]

9. Well, judging by how many people own up to wanting to rain missiles on Syria...

You're gonna have a long wait for a short line

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. Funny, ain't it? But not "ha ha" funny.

[another_liberal]

3. Your tax dollars at work.

We bankroll these murdering thugs and supported their illegal seizure of power in Egypt.

When will it be our turn to get the same treatment from our own generals? Don't even try to tell me, "It can't happen here." It is most likely already being contemplated.

[jakeXT]

5. Sometimes they are useful and sometimes it doesn't work out

In 1954, Egyptian President Gamal Abddul Nasser’s nationalist policies in Egypt come to be viewed as completely unacceptable by Britain and the US. MI6 and the CIA jointly hatch plans for his assassination. According to Miles Copeland, a CIA operative based in Egypt, the opposition to Nasser is driven by the commercial community—the oil companies and the banks. At the same time, the Muslim Brotherhood’s resentment of Nasser’s secular government also comes to a head. In one incident, Islamist militants attack pro-Nasser students at Cairo University. Following an attempt on his own life by the Brotherhood, Nasser responds immediately by outlawing the group, which he denounces as a tool of Britain. The following years see a long and complex struggle pitting Nasser against the Muslim Brotherhood, the US, and Britain. The CIA funnels support to the Muslim Brotherhood because of “the Brotherhood’s commendable capability to overthrow Nasser.”

http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=western_support_for_islamic_militancy_202700#western_support_for_islamic_militancy_202700

[another_liberal]

7. "They never hate you so much that they won't use you."

We've given dollars to some pretty awful people, but these Egyptian generals are clearly among the worst.

[aquart]

22. Well, they do seem insecure.

We will be giving money to whoever is in power in Egypt.

[maindawg]

8. I can tell you that I remember

That every other day I would read that the president was in bed with the MB as the rethugs were freaking out about it. They have all been quiet since the fascists have taken over. The rethugs love fascists.

[CJCRANE]

21. IIRC the Repubs reversed position.

Some were saying it was a coup and calling for sanctions at first, but then the Michele Bachman effect took hold and they realized they couldn't support the Muslim Brotherhood because it wouldn't look good.

[maindawg]

27. mmm hmp

I see...

[maindawg]

28. mmm hmp

I see...

[malaise]

10. Who murdered the police in Ukraine, Venezuela

Western credibility is unraveling with tasteless haste

[Warren Stupidity]

12. Will the US step up and pressure the junta to stop this outrage?

[Jefferson23]

13. Good question. n/t

[AtheistCrusader]

14. Impossible.

Too many americans identify 'the muslim brotherhood' as a terrorist org, and will see this as a good thing.

The last two election cycles took care of that.

[aquart]

23. Ask them if they really want to make 529 martyrs. I know I don't.

[CJCRANE]

16. That's not a court sentence.

That's a (potential) massacre.

I find it strange that some countries support the violent extremists in Syria, yet are against the democratic and nonviolent islamists in Egypt.

[OnlinePoker]

19. Non-violent?

Tell that to the Coptic Christians in Egypt who were killed or had their churches burned to the ground because they opposed Sharia Law, something the Muslim Brotherhood pushes strongly for. If you support women's rights, you can never support any organization that supports Sharia.

[CJCRANE]

20. They were much less violent when they were part of the democratic process.

Now they are outlaws, and the military unleashed much more violence against their protests than even Mubarak.

I don't like religious fundamentalists at all. But I prefer them to accept democracy rather than be locked out of it.

[Moosepoop]

17. The Washington Post left out a few things

even though their article in the OP linked to them:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26712124

The verdict now goes to Egypt's supreme religious authority, the Grand Mufti (a senior Islamic scholar), for approval or rejection, says the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo.

Campaigners say that while death sentences are often handed down in Egypt, few have been carried out in recent years.

The final trial session will not be held until 28 April. so there is some time left before the sentence is confirmed and there will be time to appeal in that period, our correspondent adds.

<snip>

*(Muslim Brotherhood spokesman):

"It may be just a threat message and there will be appeals to the court and the decision of the court will change, but this is the new Egypt after the coup. This is the new dictatorship that [army chief and defence minister Field Marshal] Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is trying to establish."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/24/us-egypt-brotherhood-courts-idUSBREA2N0BT20140324?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Only 123 of the defendants were in court. The rest were either released, out on bail or on the run.

[Igel]

25. Governing word: "May." n/t

[cosmicone]

18. It is just a move to rattle the muslim brotherhood

Egypt is not Texas and doesn't carry out most of the death sentences. This sentence will be reversed in a few weeks after the radicals pause to think their strategy over.

[aquart]

24. I hope so. Don't know about MB, but it sure rattled me.

[Beacool]

26. Wow!!

It's a state approved massacre.