The Egyptian court system sentenced six people to death on Saturday, including two Al-Jazeera employees, for distributing documents related to national security to Qatar during the rule of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.
Morsi, the case's top defendant, and two of his aides were also sentenced to 25 years in prison. Morsi and his secretary, Amin el-Sirafy, received an additional 15-year sentence for a lesser crime. El-Sirafy's daughter, Karima, was also sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Morsi, who was overthrown by the military in July 2013, has already been sentenced to death in another case. That death sentence and another two -- life and 20 years in prison -- are under appeal.
Egyptian court sentences 2 Al-Jazeera employees to death in absentia; ousted president gets 25 years in prison: https://t.co/ifkH27BB9I
— ABC News (@ABC) June 18, 2016
The two Al-Jazeera employees -- identified by the judge as news producer Alaa Omar Mohammed and news editor Ibrahim Mohammed Hilal -- were sentenced to death but can appeal the sentence.
Egypt's relationship with Qatar has been less than cordial over the years. Ever since Morsi was overthrown, Qatar lost many of the financial benefits that connected the two countries.
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