300 Muslim Brotherhood loyalists jailed in Egypt

Cairo, August 2: An Egyptian court sentenced 300 loyalists of the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood group of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi for three to 10 years in prison over violence charges.

A criminal court on Saturday sentenced 31 people to 10 years and 269 to three years after being convicted of committing acts of violence, possessing weapons and belonging to the brotherhood group, Xinhua reported.

Morsi was removed by military forces in July 2013 after mass protests against his one-year rule. His Muslim brotherhood group was eventually designated as "a terrorist group".

Earlier in June, a court confirmed the death sentence against Morsi over mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time leader Hosni Mubarak, besides handing death sentences to other brotherhood members and supporters.

In its annual report, Egypt's National Council for Human Rights said that the violence since Morsi's removal has resulted in the death of 2,600 people, including 700 police and army men, 550 civilians, and 1,250 brotherhood members and supporters.

IANS