Egypt Daily Update: Governments, Rights Groups Respond to Morsi’s Death Sentence

Like on Facebook Top Stories Follow on Twitter Monday, May 18, 2015 Sign up for the • Governments, Rights Groups Respond to Morsi’s Death Sentence Daily Update. • Court Bans “Ultras” Soccer Fan Clubs • Cabinet Suspends Capital Gains Tax, Market Soars

Governments, Rights Groups Respond to Morsi Death Sentence Former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi was sentenced to death on Saturday on charges related to escaping from prison along with thousands of other inmates during the 2011 uprising. Morsi was held in prison for just two days in January 2011 after being detained along with many other Brotherhood leaders. The ruling will not be final until June 2 when the Grand Mufti, Egypt’s top religious leader who reviews all death penalty cases, gives his opinion. After the Mufti’s decision, the ruling can be appealed. Morsi was sentenced to 20 years in prison less than a month ago on separate charges of inciting violence and overseeing the torture and illegal detention of protestors during his presidency. Also of Interest: Around 100 other defendants were also sentenced to death in the same trial. Among the condemned were top Brotherhood leaders Mohammed Badie and Mohammed Saad al-Katatni, and political science scholar Emad Shahin. Shahin was tried on espionage charges in absentia because he currently resides in the , where he teaches at Georgetown University. Saturday’s verdicts were met with widespread condemnation from both foreign governments and human rights groups. The said the trial was “not in line with the Egyptians’ obligations under Judicial Bullets and international law,” and a State Department official said the US was “deeply concerned.” Turkish Egyptian Insecurity president Recep Erdogan, who had close ties to Morsi, called the ruling a “disgrace.” Amnesty International called the trial “a charade” and “grossly unfair.” Executive Director for and Sara Leah Whitson tweeted that “Egypt’s judges are mere tools for settling political scores.” The released a statement denouncing the entire process, calling the court “illegitimate” and the judiciary a “cheap tool” of the regime. The Egyptian Foreign Egypt’s Leader Ministry responded calling the criticism “unacceptable interference in the state’s affairs.” Reinvents Himself as back to top Bulwark Against “Egyptian Court Sentences Ousted President Morsi to Death” (English) 5/16/15 Terrorism “Morsi’s Sentence ‘Not in Line with Egypt’s International Obligations’: EU” Ahram Online (English) 5/17/15 “US ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Egypt’s Death Penalty Decision for ” (English) 5/17/15 “Muslim Brotherhood Statement Concerning the Meager Trial of Mr. President and His Comrades” Muslim Brotherhood Official Website (Arabic) 5/16/15 Sarah Leah Whitson, @SarahLeah1, Twitter, May 16, 2015. “Foreign Ministry: We Reject Any Negative Statements Against Egypt’s Judiciary” Youm7 (Arabic) 5/17/15

Court Bans “Ultras” Soccer Fan Clubs An Egyptian court has also banned the hardcore soccer fan clubs known as “Ultras,” declaring them terrorist organizations. The decision stems from a lawsuit from the president of the Zamalek Soccer Club. There is a long history of tension and clashes between the state and the Ultras. Many Ultras clubs were active in the 2011 revolution against , and after the notorious 2012 riot at Port Said Stadium that left 72 fans dead, some Ultras accused the security forces of deliberately engineering the tragedy as retribution for their political activities. Twenty fans were killed in another incident with police in February. Some observers have attributed Saturday’s ruling to the regime’s fear of organized groups and the Ultras’ participation in the rebellion. Social researcher Dalia Abdel Hamid said, “they are being punished along with all other factions who took part in the revolution.” In other news, six men were hanged on Sunday after being convicted by a military court of killing soldiers. Court officials said they were members of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a terrorist group active in Sinai that has since pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Amnesty International called the trial “grossly unfair,” and claimed that two of the men had been in custody at the time of the alleged crimes. back to top “Court of Urgent Matters Bans ‘Ultras’ Clubs and Considers Them Terrorists” Shorouk News (Arabic) 5/16/15 “Court Bans Ultras and Labels Them Terrorists” (English) 5/16/15 “Egypt Executes Six Men Convicted of Killing Soldiers After ‘Grossly Unfair’ Trial” The Guardian (English) 5/17/15

Cabinet Suspends Capital Gains Tax, Market Soars The Egyptian Cabinet announced Monday that it is suspending the capital gains tax in the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) for two years. The Cabinet’s spokesperson said that the decision “aims to maintain the competitiveness of the EGX and encourage investment in it” as part of its ongoing efforts at economic reform. The Egyptian economy is still struggling to recover from the unrest that began in 2011, which caused many foreign investors to pull out and tourism—one of the country’s main sources of revenue—to slow to a crawl. Stock shares were up 6.5 percent by late afternoon after the news of the suspension. back to top “Government Decides to Suspend Capital Gains Tax in the Stock Market for Two Years” Youm7 (Arabic) 5/18/15 “Egypt’s Stock Market Soars After Halt of Capital Gains Tax” The New York Times (English) 5/18/15

-Nora Snyder (Any questions, comments, or suggestions can be sent to [email protected].)