Egypt court sentences more than 180 to death in mass trial

In what is thought to be the largest mass death sentence in recent Egyptian history, a court sentenced more than 180 people today in a mass trial, reports The Associated Press.

The mass trial stemmed from an August attack on a police station in the town of el-Adwa, when protesters killed one police officer and one civilian. Last year's summer sit-ins supporting former President Mohammed Morsi turned violent after government security forces killed hundreds of protesters. The international community has condemned the mass trials.

"There has been an excess in using the death sentences," Negad el-Borai, a prominent rights lawyer, said. "(The sentences) will only lead to more violence in society because people are now used to the idea of execution, killing and blood."

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The court acquitted more than 400 people in the case, which originally included more than 680 defendants.