Germany summons Egyptian ambassador in protest of Brotherhood death sentences

Published April 29th, 2014 - 05:00 GMT

Al Bawaba

Germany summoned its Egyptian ambassador in Berlin Tuesday in response to a recent ruling that committed nearly 700 Muslim Brotherhood members to death sentences Monday, according to Reuters.

"The hundreds of death sentences make a mockery of what we understand to be democratic principles," Germany's Foreign Minster Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement.

"The Egyptian authorities are risking further destabilisation of their country and a cementing of political and social divisions ahead of the presidential elections in May," he added.

Germany has called on Egypt to repeal the sentences, but it is not yet clear what course of action Cairo will take.

683 Muslim Brotherhood supporters, including senior leader of the banned organization Mohamed Badie, were sentenced to death in Egypt's southern Minya courts Monday. The defendants were convicted of involvement in the killing and attempted murder of policemen in the province in August last year, the same time that police forces killed hundreds of former president Mohammed Morsi supporters in clashes in Cairo.

The total convicted to death now surpasses 1000, but the court has allegedly reversed 429 death sentences from the March conviction to life sentences rather than death.