Egypt court sentences 6 to death over spying for Qatar

An Egyptian Court on Saturday sentenced to death six people linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood on charges of spying for Qatar, state-run Nile TV reported, in a case involving deposed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

Morsi and four other prominent Brotherhood figures are also charged in the case, but the court delayed their verdict till June 18.

The presiding judge in the trial asked the mufti -- the country's official interpreter of Islamic law who plays an advisory role -- to consider the death sentences for the six codefendants.

The six include two documentary and media producers with the Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel.

Qatar was a main backer of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group while he was in power between 2012 and July 2013.

According to the prosecution, Morsi and the other 10 co-defendants had leaked "classified documents" to Qatar, which allegedly contained secrets on "national security," and were traded with the Qatari intelligence for a million dollars.

"Morsi wouldn't face death, and may receive only few years in prison, because he wasn't among the names that were handed down death sentence on Saturday," Aly el-Safty, a legal expert, told Xinhua.

"Morsi will be convicted to life sentence or freed as long as his name wasn't mentioned with those referred to the Mufti," Abdel Moniem Abdel-Maqsoud, Morsi's lawyer said.

Morsi along with his secretary Amen el-Serafy, and head of the presidency office Ahmed Abdel Aaty, sent documents with data on the Armed Forces numbers and locations and on the public policy of the country to Al Jazzera channel that would harm Egypt military, political, diplomatic, economic and national interests, the prosecution added.

The classified documents were handed to former Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasem in Doha Sheraton Hotel, for one million dollars, the prosecution said.

In reponse to Saturday's verdicts, the "Freedom and Justice Party," the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, described on its official website the charges as "absurd."

Morsi was convicted in three other cases to death, a life sentence and 20 years in prison.

On May 17, Morsi and 106 supporters of his Muslim Brotherhood received death penalties over a mass jail break following the 2011 uprising that ousted the long time ruler Hosni Mubarak.

The ousted president, along with Brotherhood guide Mohamed Badei and other seven members of the group, was sentenced to life in prison for conspiring with foreign militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah against Egypt's national security.

Another court sentenced him to 20 years in prison for clashes that erupted outside a presidential palace in December 2012 between his supporters and opponents, which killed up to 10 people.

Morsi was toppled by the army in 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule. His Muslim Brotherhood group has been designated as a terrorist group.

Hundreds of the group received death and life sentences, mostly over violence, murder and spying charges.

Source: XINHUA