Hamas on Tuesday hailed the Egyptian Court of Cassation for overturning a death sentence imposed on Mohamed Morsi the country’s first democratically elected president on charges of collaboration with Hamas.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the court rule testifies to the key position granted to the Palestinian cause by the Egyptian authorities.
The Egyptian Court of Cassation on Tuesday quashed a death sentence given to Morsi on charges of spying for foreign parties in reference to such groups as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Mohamed Morsi was the country’s first democratically elected president and was ousted in 2013 by a military coup carried out by incumbent Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al-Sissi.
He is serving a life sentence in prison for offenses related to alleged espionage and inciting violence.
In June 2015 Egypt’s criminal court sentenced Morsi and other leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood movement to life imprisonment. 16 others were sentenced to death on charges of collaboration with foreign parties.
The Brotherhood which held power for just over a year has been classified as a terrorist group by the government of Abdul Fattah al-Sissi. Thousands of the group’s leaders and supporters have either been jailed killed or exiled.
Observers widely believe that executing top leaders like Mr. Morsi could lead to a new surge of violence recommending a retrial of his case.
