CAIRO, Mar 18 (Aswat Masriya) - The Giza Criminal Court ratified on Monday death sentences served to 22 defendants for breaking into the Kerdasa Police Station in July 2013.

The 23rd defendant in the case, a juvenile, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Of the 23 defendants, eight were sentenced in absentia.

The defendants were charged with murdering a policeman, attempted murder of others, use of violence, possession of weapons, assembly and vandalism.

The verdict is subject to appeal.

The incident took place in July 3, 2013, on the day of the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.

The judge presiding over the trial, Mohamed Nagi Shehata, has issued numerous death sentences during the past year.

The most recent of which was last week, when he sentenced to death Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and 13 others for managing an "operations room to resist the state and spread chaos" in addition to planning to burn churches and police stations following the dispersal of the two pro-Mohamed Mursi camps in August 2013.

Militancy in Egypt has seen a significant rise since July 2013, after the military ouster of Mursi following mass protests against his rule. While most attacks target security forces in North Sinai, operations have been carried out elsewhere including Cairo.