EU raises concern over mass executions in Egypt

By Yusuf Hatip

BRUSSELS

The European Union voiced concern Tuesday over mass death sentences in Egypt.

“There are serious doubts about the right of the defendants to a fair trial in connection with the execution of the death penalty for 75 members of the Muslim Brotherhood by the court in Egypt,” Maja Kocijancic, the spokeswoman for EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini, said in a statement.

“Moreover, the circumstances of these cases raise serious doubts on procedural compliance,” she said.

“We expect the Egyptian authorities to respect Egypt's Constitution and international obligations.”

Egypt condemned the statement, saying "it violated objectivity".

In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it rejected any kind of interference in internal issues of countries.

On Saturday, 75 people were sentenced to death and 47 to life in prison by a court in Egypt for their actions during a protest in Cairo in 2013 in support of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

Egypt has been roiled by violence and turmoil since 2013, when Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader -- was ousted and imprisoned in a bloody military coup.

In the almost five years since Morsi's ouster, Egyptian authorities have waged a relentless crackdown on dissent, killing hundreds and throwing thousands -- some say tens of thousands -- behind bars.