by Benson Agoha
Members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the party that brought austed former President Mohammed Morsi to power, have been convicted on charges of public order offences including murder, and 529 of them were sentenced to death.
According to media monitored in the Egyptian capital Cairo, a "court sentenced 529 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to death on Monday on charges including murder", a sharp escalation of a crackdown on the movement.
The Jerusalem Post said most of them were arrested during clashes that erupted in the southern province of Minya after the forced dispersal of two Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo on August 14.
Egypt has been plunged into turmoil since the forced removal of former President Mohamed Morsi by the army, effectively overthrowing the Muslim Brotherhood party, in July 2013.
Since then,security forces have killed hundreds of Brotherhood members in the street, and arrested thousands of others.
Ahmed al-Sharif, a lawyer, told the media that "The court has decided to sentence to death 529 defendants, and 16 were acquitted," although the ruling can be appealed.
The charges against the group, on trial in Minya since Saturday, include violence, inciting murder, storming a police station, attacking persons and damaging public and private property.
Only 123 of the defendants were present in court during the ruling. The rest were either released, out on bail or on the run.
The government has declared the Brotherhood a "terrorist" group. The Brotherhood says it is a peaceful movement.
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