US deeply troubled by use of mass trials in Egypt

WASHINGTON: The US has said it was "deeply troubled" by the mass death sentence handed down in Egypt to Muslim Brotherhood chief and hundreds of his supporters.

"The US is deeply troubled by the continued use of mass trials and sentencing in Egypt, and particularly by today's death sentence against 683 defendants. Today's verdict, like the one last month, defies even the most basic standards of international justice," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Monday.

The Egyptian government has the responsibility to ensure that every citizen is afforded due process, including the right to a fair trial in which evidence is clearly presented, and access to an attorney, he said.

"While judicial independence is a vital part of democracy, this verdict cannot be reconciled with Egypt's obligations under international human rights law," he said.

Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badie and his 682 Islamist supporters were on Monday sentenced to death by an Egyptian court in one of the country's largest mass trials.

The convicts were accused of involvement in killings and attempted murder of policemen in the southern Minya province on August 14, the day when security forces violently disbanded sit-ins held by ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi's supporters and killed hundreds of them in clashes in Cairo.

In a separate case, the same court in Minya yesterday reversed 492 death sentences out of 529 it passed last month, commuting most of the death penalty to life in prison.

"Egyptian leaders must take a stand against this illogical action and dangerous precedent, recognizing that the repression of peaceful dissent will fuel the instability and radicalization that Egypt says it wishes to prevent," he said.

Carney urged the Egyptian government to end the use of mass trials, reverse this and previous mass sentences, and ensures that every citizen is afforded due process.

"Since the January 25 Revolution, the Egyptian people have aspired to be represented by a government that rules justly, respects their dignity, and provides economic opportunities," he said.

Noting that the US supports these aspirations and wants Egypt's transition to succeed, Carney said that a fair and transparent criminal justice system free of intimidation and political retribution is an important part of any democracy, and the Egyptian people deserve no less.