Egypt's legal system has already been under scrutiny with a raft of high-profile cases that include two ousted presidents and scores of activists. And a new wave of international criticism is building after an Egyptian court sentenced 529 men to death after a two-day trial.
The judge sentenced the men for the killing of a police officer. They were also charged with arson, inciting violence and other crimes in the province of Minya, just south of Cairo.
The U.N. Human Rights office said the mass death sentences were "unprecedented in recent history." The U.S. State Department called it "unconscionable" and a "flagrant disregard for basic standards of justice."
Amnesty International called the decision "grotesque" and viewed it as part of an unprecedented government crackdown that has put thousands behind bars. Thousands have also been killed, according to groups monitoring the violence.
Many of the defendants are not in custody and were tried in absentia. The sentences could be overturned. They were referred to the country's top Islamic jurist for consideration but he has often upheld death sentences.
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