Former Egyptian President Morsi Sentenced to Death
Former Egyptian President Morsi Sentenced to Death

An Egyptian court sentenced former President Mohammed Morsi to death today (Saturday), along with a number of other Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

The country's religious leader, the Mufti, will now examine the sentence. After his ruling, Morsi can make another appeal to the Supreme Court.

Current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made it his mission to crack down on Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood and its Palestinian branch, Hamas. The cabinet designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist group in December 2013, "indefinitely" closed the Rafah border crossing to Gaza, and is now building a separation barrier between Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula.

However, experts say that, despite the court order, Egypt may be reluctant to carry out the sentence. Many people have been sentenced to death since Sisi came to power in 2013, but relatively few have actually taken place. Furthermore, executing Morsi may set off protests and riots throughout the country.