EGYPT: Former President Morsi Sentenced To 20 Years in Jail

A Cairo court has sentenced former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and 12 other defendants to 20 years in prison.

Morsi was charged with inciting the killing of protesters, in connection to the
deaths of 10 people outside the presidential palace in December 2012.

The court acquitted the former president of murder charges the could have seen him face the death penalty.

He also faces serious charges in three other cases, including an accusation that he passed intelligence to a foreign country.

Egyptian journalist, Yehia Ghanem, told Al Jazeera the Egyptian government was sending a message that it would not tolerate any opposition.

"The whole thing was calculated politically from the start. It sends a message to Egyptians and the rest of the world that there's no future for any civil rule," Ghanem said.

Morsi was deposed by his then military chief and Minister of Defence Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after mass protests against his rule in the summer of 2013.

Following the coup, the former president's supporters launched a series of protests and sit-ins across the country culminating in a crackdown by security forces that left hundreds dead.

In the deadliest incident, at least 817 protesters were killed in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya Square when security forces opened fire on a sit-in. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the killings likely amounted to "crimes against humanity".

Thousands have also been imprisoned, with many supporters of Morsi facing mass trials facing charges of involvement in violence.

At least 1,212 have been sentenced to death since the start of 2014, including the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie.