528 death sentences: more proof that Egypt is out of control

Al-Sisi needs to get a grip if US and secular middle classes are to support his leadership

Robert Fox

THE handing down of death sentences to 528 members of the Muslim Brotherhood by an Egyptian court seems rough justice even by the standards of a kangaroo court.

After only two court sessions, and without hearing any evidence in their defence, the judge in the central Egyptian town of Minya, a known focus of Islamic militancy, sentenced the 528 for their role in the murder of a policeman during riots last year.

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is a writer on Western defence issues and Italian current affairs. He has worked for the Corriere della Sera in Milan, covered the Falklands invasion for BBC Radio, and worked as defence correspondent for The Daily Telegraph. His books include The Inner Sea: the Mediterranean and its People.