Justice Ministry criticizes international reactions to Morsi’s death sentence

The Ministry of Justice issued a statement on Tuesday describing international reactions to the court’s decision to send former President Mohamed Morsi to death as “violations of international conventions,” privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported. 

Cairo Criminal Court had referred Morsi's verdict, along with those of several leading Muslim Brotherhood figures, to the Grand Mufti for review on Saturday, in two cases relating to prison escapes and espionage dating back to 2011. 

Pending the Mufti’s recommendation, the final sentencing has been set for May 2. After this date, the defendants can appeal the ruling.

The Justice Ministry’s statement added that it has been following the “unfair and unacceptable” international responses “with great sorrow.” 

“The Egyptian government and all its institutions are committed to not commenting on judicial rulings, in line with the constitutional guidelines that separate authorities and ensure the independence of the judiciary,” the statement added. “However, the ministry feels compelled to respond to the vicious attack on the Egyptian judiciary.” 

The Justice Ministry emphasized “the independence of the judiciary and all its rulings, which are issued within the boundaries of international guidelines, and guarantee fair trial for all defendants.” 

It criticized the reactions for “overstepping” and “violating all international conventions mandating respect for other countries’ sovereignty and non-interference in their internal affairs.” 

However, the statement clarified that the decision issued in the case is not a final verdict and can still be appealed.

On Monday, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperon Badr Abdel Aty also slammed countries that criticized the court’s decision during a phone interview on privately owned satellite channel ONtv. 

“These countries don’t follow the fundamentals of democracy to begin with,” Abdel Aty stated. “They’re pressuring Egyptian executive authorities to interfere with the judiciary’s area of jurisdiction.” 

He also attacked the aforementioned countries for “not upholding human rights,” and cited their “failure to comment on the recent murder of three judges in Sinai.”

On Sunday, a US State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Guardian that the US is “deeply concerned by yet another mass death sentence handed down by an Egyptian court to more than 100 defendants, including former President Morsi.” 

“We have consistently spoken out against the practice of mass trials and sentences, which are conducted in a manner that is inconsistent with Egypt’s international obligations and the rule of law,” he said.

The European Union also criticized the court’s decision, adding that the “cruel and inhumane” penalty “stemmed from a flawed trial.”

A statement issued by EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said that the court’s 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.”

Mogherini urged Egypt to guarantee the defendants' rights to a fair trial and to an independent investigation.

Moreover, Amnesty International released a statement on Saturday calling the trial a "charade". 

 “Condemning Mohamed Morsi to death after more grossly unfair trials shows a complete disregard for human rights. His trials were undermined even before he set foot in the courtroom,” said Said Boumedouha, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.  

“The fact that he was held for months incommunicado without judicial oversight and that he didn’t have a lawyer to represent him during the investigations makes these trials nothing but a charade based on null and void procedures,” Boumedouha added.

Amnesty urged Egyptian authorities to disregard all evidence obtained while Morsi and co-defendants were "forcibly disappeared," and said they should either be released immediately or retried in a civilian court in line with Egyptian and international law. 

Following the ruling, Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’s statement claimed that some of the defendants convicted in the prison escape case were martyred before the 2011 revolution, like Tayseer Abu Seneima and Hossam al-Sanea. Others were detained in Israeli prisons at the time of the purported escape, like Hassan Salama, who has been in Israeli prison for the past 19 years, Hamas alleged.

The case dates back to the mass escape that occurred at Wadi Natrun Prison during the security vacuum in the early days of the 2011 revolution. According to the prosecution, several Muslim Brotherhood leaders broke out of prison, along with hundreds of other prisoners, including members of Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Along with Morsi, those sentenced to death included Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, his deputy Mahmoud Ezzat, former parliamentary speaker and guidance bureau members Mohamed al-Beltagy, Essam al-Erian and Saad al-Husseiny, in addition to over one hundred other defendants.

The defendants also face charges of storming prisons, assisting the escape of convicts and looting weapons, in addition to murder and attempted murder of police officers, among other charges.