An Egyptian court handed out on Saturday, the death penalty to 75 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, while sentencing their spiritual leader Mohammed Badie and 46 others including Essam Sultan and Basem Aouda, for life behind bars, for their involvement in a 2013 sit-in protest which led to deadly clashes.

 

While those sentenced to death by hanging, include senior Brotherhood leaders Essam al-Erian, Mohamed Beltagi and prominent Islamist preacher Safwat Higazi.

 

The Cairo Criminal Court also handed out a 10-year jail term to ousted President Mohamed Morsi’s son Osama, while sentencing photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, to five years behind bars.

 

Abu Zeid, widely known as Shawkan, earlier this year received UNESCO’s World Freedom Prize. He was arrested in August 2013 as he covered the deadly clashes in Cairo between security forces and Morsi supporters.

 

The Cairo Criminal Court is trying 739 persons accused of security related activities, killing and destroying public properties.