[JURIST] An Egyptian military tribunal on Tuesday confirmed the death sentences of seven Islamic militants who were convicted of killing army officers. The original charges [Al Ahram report] brought against the Islamic militants were shooting at security forces, planning terrorist operations,and attacking military bases and facilities. The militants were members of a group called Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis [BBC backgrounder], which is a terrorist group that began targeting Egyptian army and police after the ousting of Mohammed Morsi [BBC backgrounder]. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi [BBC backgrounder] commented on the sentencing that more international efforts must be made to fight terrorism throughout the middle east and around the world. The defense lawyer for the seven militants has indicated plans to appeal.

In a government crackdown since the army ousted [JURIST report] Morsi last year, thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters have been jailed, often with lengthy prison terms. Earlier this month an Egyptian judge was removed from his position [JURIST report] on the Minya Criminal Court of Egypt [Middle East Monitor news archive] to a seat on the civilian judicial court in Egypt. The Minya court, one of the nation’s terrorism courts, was the forum for two mass sentences of hundreds of Islamic supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood earlier this year. In June human rights experts were outraged over the mass death sentence confirmed [JURIST reports] for 183 people. The ruling simultaneously acquitted over 400 people. In March 529 Morsi supporters had been sentenced to death [JURIST report] in one controversial judicial proceeding.