Campaigning opened May 3 in Egypt for a May election likely to be won by the ex-army chief who deposed the elected president, after deadly bombings underscored tensions ahead of the vote. The May 26-27 presidential poll, meant to restore elected rule following the July overthrow of Islamist Mohamed Morsi, is widely expected to place former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in power. His only rival, leftist Hamdeen Sabbahi, has emerged as an opposition figure claiming to represent the ideals of the 2011 uprising that overthrew veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak, as the interim government presses a widening crackdown on dissent. The day before the campaign opened, bombings killed a police officer in Cairo and a soldier in the Sinai Peninsula. (AFP)

An Egyptian court on May 19 acquitted 169 Muslim Brotherhood supporters on charges relating to the violence following the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi last year. The men had been charged with "illegal gathering" last August but will now be released from prison. The acquittals represent a break from the pattern of mass trials of Morsi supporters resulting in convictions. Also May 19 another judge convicted 62 people of involvement in last summer's violence, sentencing them up to 25 years in prison and upholding the death penalty against one. On Sunday 170 Morsi supporters were convicted and sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

From Jurist, May 19. Used with permission.

The Court of Cassation in Egypt on May 24 sentenced 19 supporters of the formerly ousted president Mohammed Morsi o five years in prison for rioting last year outside the Al-Azhar Islamic institution. It has been reported[ that the supporters were accused of assaulting civil servants, damaging public property, blocking roads and displaying unwarranted aggression to the public outside the Islamic institution. One other supporter who was also involved in the incident was also sentenced to three years in prison. In addition to jail time, the convicted supporters face a fine of EGP $20,000. These verdicts come two days before Egypt's presidential election where experts predict former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to win. As a result of el-Sissi's leading efforts in the ousting of Morsi, his political campaign has been viewed as a contributing factor to the rioting and political unrest by former Morsi supporters.

From Jurist, May 24. Used with permission.

An Egyptian court on May 31 sentenced 34 supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi each to two years in prison and a  $1,600 fine for their alleged participation in violence during celebrations of the three-year anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. The defendants were convicted for violating Egypt's recent protest law which requires demonstrators to obtain permission from authorities one week before demonstrating. The defendants were also accused and convicted of vandalizing public and private property, attacking authorities, and belonging to a terrorist organization—the Muslim Brotherhood.

From Jurist, June 1. Used with permission.

The Giza Criminal Court in Egypt sentenced the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, to death on June 19 for the second time in three months. Badie was sentenced along with 13 other members of the Muslim Brotherhood for allegedly inciting violence that resulted in the death of 10 people near the al-Istiqamah Mosque in the Giza neighborhood shortly after the removal of Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. Among the 13 other convicted members of the Brotherhood, The ruling included senior members Mohammed el-Beltagy and Essam el-Erian.

From Jurist, June 20. Used with permission.

An Egyptian court Sept. 15 sentenced Mohamed Badie, leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, to life in prison and 14 others to 25 years in prison for murder and inciting violence. The case against Badie, the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, stems from violence that broke out in the Giza neighborhood of Cairo in July 2013 shortly after then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled president Mohamed Morsi. The new court proceedings had been designated for witness statements to be heard, but the presiding judge issued a verdict before any statements were given, finding the parties guilty of murdering five people and attempting to murder 100 others.

Badie has received multiple life sentences and the death penalty from Egyptian courts in the aftermath of Morsi's ouster and the subsequent crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood.

From Jurist, Sept. 15. Used with permission.

A court in Egypt on Jan. 24 ordered a retrial for 37 Muslim Brotherhood supporters sentenced to death over an attack on a police station in 2013. They were among more than 500 backers of ousted President Mohammed Morsi sentenced to death in a mass trial. Most of the death penalties were later commuted to life in prison. A retrial was also ordered for 115 other defendants sentenced to life. The two-day trial and its outcome had drawn international condemnation. (BBC News)