Egypt court jails 17 Morsi loyalists up to 25 years

Cairo: An Egyptian military court sentenced 15 Muslim Brotherhood group suppoters to 25 years in prison and two others to 10 years over inciting violence in 2013, after the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi.

The military general prosecution accused the defendants of murdering, joining a terror group, committing acts of violence, horrifying citizens and resisting the authorities and ruining a police vehicle, state run news agency MENA reported on Thursday.

Egypt's judiciary is currently holding mass trials for thousands of defendants over charges varying from belonging to the Brotherhood to murdering anti-Brotherhood protesters.

Ousted Islamist President Morsi himself has recently been sentenced to 20 years in prison over ordering the arrest and torture of protesters in 2012.

However, the court acquitted Morsi and 14 other defendants of a more serious charge, namely ordering and inciting the killing of protesters, whose penalty could reach a capital punishment.

The group's top chief Mohamed Badie, who is also in custody, has been sentenced to death more than once and is currently wearing the execution red uniform while detained in prison.