Egypt's Court of Cassation Reverses Death Sentences for Muslim Brotherhood Leaders, Orders Retrial

In continuation of what appears to be a fairly consistent pattern, Egypt's Court of Cassation (supreme court of the common court system) yesterday reversed the convictions and death sentences ordered by a lower court for Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and 11 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders, reversed the convictions and life sentences of 25 other defendants, and ordered a retrial in what is commonly referred to as the Rabaa Control Room Case. The defendants had been charged with directing and organizing violence and chaos around the country following the violent dispersal of the large protest camp at Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square and a smaller camp at Al-Nahda Square in August 2013, following the July 2013 removal of former President Mohamed Morsi from office. (See story at this link)

As noted in previous posts, the Court of Cassation appears to be unwilling to compromise its standards of justice and due process of law in highly politically charged cases across the political spectrum. While inflammatory rulings of lower courts attract the most popular news media attention and commentary, the pattern of reversals of such convictions by the country's highest common court is of far more importance and long-term consequence.