Egypt’s mass sentencing to death of 529 alleged supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi is a breach of international human rights law, the United Nations said today.
“The astounding number of people sentenced to death in this case is unprecedented in recent history. The mass imposition of the death penalty after a trial that was rife with procedural irregularities is in breach of international human rights law,” said Rupert Coville, spokesman for the UN high commissioner for human rights.
The sentences were handed down yesterday after a trial that lasted just two days, sparking an international outcry and sending a chill through opponents of Egypt’s military-installed regime, which has placed more than 2,000 alleged Islamists on mass trials since the army overthrew Morsi in July. “A death sentence may only be imposed after proceedings that meet the highest level of respect for fair trial and due process standards.
A mass trial of 529 people conducted over just two days cannot possibly have met even the most basic requirements for a fair trial,” Coville told reporters. “The exact charges against each defendant are unclear as they were not read out in court,” said Colville.