Muslim Brotherhood Movement Prepares to Appeal Morsi Death Sentence

Lawyers for the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist group are readying an appeal to ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's death sentence, expected to be handed down on Tuesday, one of the convict's lawyers said in a statement.

CAIRO (Sputnik) – In May, a criminal court in Cairo charged Morsi and a number of his Muslim Brotherhood allies with leaking state secrets and orchestrating a 2011 prison break. The cases were transferred to the Grand Mufti, the country's top religious scholar, for confirmation.

"We expect that the court will announce the final verdict on Tuesday. Most likely, there won’t be any adjournments of the hearing for the next day because the judges had the opportunity to study the Mufti’s recommendations on the case, and enough time to analyze all the details," Muhammed Tosun said.

Earlier in June, lawyers reportedly explored the possibility of deporting Morsi from Egypt, under the condition of a forfeiture of his citizenship. According to Egyptian law, convicts who hold foreign passports can be deported. Muslim Brotherhood representatives are researching various options for Morsi, who does not currently have dual citizenship.

Morsi, the Egyptian president from June 2012 to July 2013, is currently serving a 20-year prison term for inciting the killing of protesters during mass riots outside the Federal Palace in Cairo in December 2012.

The former Egyptian leader was overthrown in a 2013 military coup amid nationwide protests.