BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – On Saturday, a criminal court in Cairo sentenced Morsi to death on charges of orchestrating a 2011 mass prison break.
Morsi and his fellow defendants, including other Muslim Brotherhood leaders, were convicted for breaking out of Wadi Natroun jail in Cairo and attacking police facilities during the 2011 uprising against Egypt's then-president, Hosni Mubarak. Following the prison break, several other prisons saw multiple riots and thousands of inmates escaped.
"The court decision to seek the death penalty for former President Mohamed Morsi and more than 100 of his supporters, in connection with a mass jail break in 2011, was taken at the end of a mass trial that was not in line with Egypt's obligations under international law," Mogherini said in a statement.
Mogherini stated that the Egyptian judicial authorities had the responsibility to ensure defendants' rights to a fair trial and investigation.
"As the EU, we are confident the sentence will be revised during the appeal process. Stability and rule of law should be guaranteed."