CAIRO // An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced 183 people to death over the ransacking of a police station and the killing of 15 policemen after the 2013 removal of president Mohammed Morsi. The verdict was the latest in a string of mass death sentences that have sparked local and international condemnation.
The charges are related to the bloody August 2013 ransacking of a police station in the village of Kerdassah, near Cairo. The attackers killed 15 officers, including the police chief, and mutilated some of the bodies.
The assault was believed to be revenge by Morsi loyalists for the government’s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.
Mr Morsi, a longtime Brotherhood official, was ousted by the military in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. Mr Morsi’s supporters staged two large public sit-in protests in Cairo, which were harshly broken up by police on August 14, 2013 — killing hundreds of Brotherhood cadres. The attack on the Kerdassah police station began a few hours after the Brotherhood sit-ins were cleared.
Monday’s verdict was issued by judge Mohammed Nagi Shehata, who has developed a reputation for harsh sentences against perceived government critics.
Mr Shehata previously sentenced a trio of prominent revolutionary activists to prison for violating a new law against unauthorised demonstrations. He also sentenced three journalists from Al Jazeera English to jail terms ranging from 7 to 10 years; one of those journalists, Australian Peter Greste, was released and deported on Sunday, while the other two remain in prison.
Other judges have also handed down mass death sentences against Brotherhood supporters, including more than 1000 in a pair of mass trials that were heavily criticised by international human rights groups. Many of those sentences were later overturned on appeal, and in one incident, a judge was removed.
Mr Morsi is, himself, facing multiple trials over his one-year reign – including charges of conspiring with foreign groups and authorising the killing of protesters. He is scheduled to begin a new trial on February 15 over charges of allegedly leaking “classified documents” to Qatar and Al Jazeera television, a judicial source said on Monday.
Mr Morsi and nine others, including an Al Jazeera employee, are accused of “handing over to Qatar intelligence documents linked to national security in exchange for one million dollars”, a prosecution statement said.
It said the case against the suspects, of whom seven are in custody, represented “the biggest act of treason and espionage” ever carried out against Egypt.
Mr Morsi is already on trial in three separate cases – one for the killing of protesters during his presidency, another for allegedly conspiring with foreign powers including Iran to destabilise Egypt, and a third over a jailbreak and attacks on police stations during the 2011 uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
Trials against Mr Morsi and several leaders of his Muslim Brotherhood are part of a crackdown targeting his supporters that has left hundreds dead, thousands jailed and hundreds sentenced to death after speedy trials.
Qatar had always supported Mr Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, which posted strong electoral gains after Mubarak's removal.
In the latest trial, Mr Morsi’s co-defendants include: his former secretary, Amin El Serafi, the ex-director of his office, Ahmed Abdel Atti, and Ibrahim Mohamed Helal, identified as a chief editor of Al Jazeera television.
Mr Morsi and Abdel Atti gave Mr El Serafi “extremely sensitive documents concerning the army, its deployment and weaponry”, and he then passed them to Mr Helal and a Qatari intelligence operative, according to the prosecution.
It said unidentified intermediaries were used to send the documents to Mr Helal and the Qataris.
The papers included documents from the “general and military intelligence offices of the state security” apparatus, the prosecutor said.
Relations between Egypt and Qatar soured after Mr Morsi’s removal.
Diplomatic ties between Cairo and Doha have been improving since a regional summit hosted by Riyadh in November at which Qatar joined its Arabian Gulf neighbours in supporting Egypt under president Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
* Associated Press, Agence France-Presse
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
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