Egypt upholds death sentences in prosecutor killing case

CAIRO – Egypt’s highest appeal court has upheld death sentences against nine defendants convicted for their involvement in the 2015 assassination of the country’s chief prosecutor.

The Cassation court on Sunday also commuted to life imprisonment death sentences against six other defendants. Death sentences were also handed down in July 2017 to 13 defendants tried in absentia and who will be eligible for a new trial if they surrender or are captured.

In the same case, the lower court sentenced 15 defendants to life, eight to 15 years in prison and 15 others to 10 years. Charges against one defendant who died in detention were dropped.

Hisham Barakat, the chief prosecutor, was the most senior government official killed by Islamic militants since the 2013 ouster by the military of an Islamist president.