Two sentenced to death for throwing children off roof

[DJKeefy]

Two Islamists sentenced to death for throwing children off roof last July.

Alexandria Criminal Court sentenced two men to death Saturday for throwing children off a roof last July, two days after Islamist president Mohamed Morsi's ouster.

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They faced charges of manslaughter, thuggery, violence, illegal possession of weapons, and disturbing public order.

The verdicts were delivered amid a heavy security presence outside the court.

The defendants papers have been transferred to the Office of the Grand Mufti, the country's official authority for issuing religious edicts, as Egyptian law stipulates that all death sentences must be reviewed by the grand mufti for ratification.

The convicts were arrested last July after a video showing them throwing children from the rooftop of a building in Alexandria's district of Sidi Gaber went viral.

The footage showed one of the defendants, with a long beard holding a black flag associated with Al-Qaeda, stabbing a child and throwing him off the rooftop of the building.

Also standing trial are another 60 defendants — allegedly Muslim Brotherhood members — accused of violent behaviour and thuggery in Sidi Gaber on 5 July 2013.

Their trial has been postponed to 19 May.

Morsi's ouster was followed by nationwide violence that saw clashes between his supporters, opponents and the police. Violence intensified in mid-August after the deadly dispersal of two main pro-Morsi protest camps, in Rabaa Al-Adawyia and Nahda squares in Cairo and Giza respectively.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/97815.aspx

[Bombay]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26802443

Two men have been sentenced to death for murders committed during political violence in Alexandria last year.

The charges against Mahmoud Ramadan and Abdullah el-Ahmedi, supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, included throwing youths from the roof of a building.

The violence broke out after the army deposed Mr Morsi.

There have been frequent clashes between security forces and Morsi supporters in the Mediterranean city.

Hamad was training to be an electrician
Sixty other people are standing trial in the same case.

The violence in Alexandria's Sidi Gaber district broke out in the days after the army deposed Mr Morsi on 3 July, following mass protests against his rule. State news agency Mena reported that 18 people were killed in the clashes.

Footage of two youths being thrown from a roof in the city was widely broadcast in Egypt at the time.

"This ruling is justice from God," said Badr Hassouna, father of Hamad Badr, in court. His son died after being thrown from the roof along with another youth.

In an interview with the BBC, Badr Hassouna said his son had been watching a pro-Morsi protest when gunfire broke out and he and others ran into the apartment building, where they were chased on to, and then thrown off, the roof by the protesters.

Badr Houssana
"Who are these people who use Islam to pull us back into the dark ages?" asked Hamad's father, in an interview with the BBC
Hamad, who has just turned 19, died later in hospital. The Muslim Brotherhood denies any involvement in the killings.

The ruling triggered chants for and against Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who deposed Mr Morsi and who is expected to become the next president, after announcing his intention to run in the forthcoming election.

The sentences drew a defiant response from the defendants, who chanted "Life is not important. Nothing is important, but our Islam is important," as some of them held aloft copies of the Koran.

In a separate case on Monday, a court in Minya sentenced 529 supporters of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood to death, drawing strong criticism from Western governments and human rights groups.

[Hafiz]

Unbelievable. Did they think those on the service shaft posed a threat can't see the threat. The worst of it included a middle aged man beating the head of one of the deceased with a stick or bar of after he had been pushed.

As with the BBC, Reuters says it was 'youths' which is a lot less inflammatory version than children but al Ahram goes for the hysterical as it has in the past.

[carrie]

I don't know about the inflammatory language, many times I have said something about the behaviour of youths, young men, and been told that they are only children. Doesn't seem to be a word for youths here but maybe Glyph will put me right.

[newcastle]

I don't know about the inflammatory language, many times I have said something about the behaviour of youths, young men, and been told that they are only children. Doesn't seem to be a word for youths here but maybe Glyph will put me right.

I thought the Arabic word "shabab" covers 20-something youths. Don't know if there's another word for, say, 12-20's

[Dusak]

I don't know about the inflammatory language, many times I have said something about the behaviour of youths, young men, and been told that they are only children. Doesn't seem to be a word for youths here but maybe Glyph will put me right.

I thought the Arabic word "shabab" covers 20-something youths. Don't know if there's another word for, say, 12-20's

Little gob****'* if being tormented with them on the streets of Luxor.