Egypt court postpones Rabaa dispersal trial to Sep 6

Tuesday 09-08-2016 04:10 PM

Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohames Badie during one of his trial sessions - Reuters

CAIRO, Aug 9 (Aswat Masriya) – The Cairo Criminal Court postponed on Tuesday the trial of Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide and 738 others in a case dubbed as “Rabaa sit-in dispersal” to Sep 6.

The list of defendants includes senior brotherhood leaders as Essam al-Erian, Mohamed al-Beltagy, Bassem Ouda and Abdelrahman al-Bar.

During the trial, Beltagy said he was allegedly tortured by the hands of Interior Ministry figures and accused two major generals of being involved.

The court ordered the prosecution to investigate Beltagy’s torture allegations.

The defendants face charges of "assembly, show of force, premeditated murder," as well as intentional damage of property and possession of unlicensed firearms.

The dispersal of Rabaa al-Adaweya sit in dates back to August 2013. The encampment was in support of elected Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Mursi who was militarily ousted in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule.

Rabaa’s dispersal saw the killing of at least 1,150 demonstrators, according to Human Rights Watch in a 2014 report which said that it “probably amounts to crime against humanity”.

The state's National Council for Human Rights, however, said in March 2014 that the death toll was 632, including eight security personnel. 

Egypt listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in December 2013.

The state insists the Brotherhood is behind the violent wave of militancy which has targeted security personnel since mid-2013.

The Brotherhood continuously denies the accusations.

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