Egypt court gives 2 years prison to 12 over 2013 violence

Cairo: An Egyptian court has sentenced 12 alleged supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group to two years in prison over violence in the city of Suez in December 2013.

Six others were acquitted in the case today, which involved street clashes, attempted murder and battery charges. The government has launched a massive crackdown on the 87-year-old Brotherhood since the military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, a longtime Brotherhood official, in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule.

Morsi was convicted on charges of carrying out a 2011 prison break and has been sentenced to death. A judge will announce his final decision on June 16 concerning the death sentence, which could be subsequently appealed.