[JURIST] An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood [BBC backgrounder] and 13 others to death after finding them guilty of planning attacks against the state. Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie has been sentenced to death before, although the sentences were later reduced to life imprisonment. Badie and the 13 other defendants were accused of setting up a control room to direct the movements of Brotherhood supporters across the country. Defense lawyer Ahmad Helmi, who called the verdicts “farcical” in an interview with reporters [BBC report], said the decision was handed down even though the defense had not finished its closing arguments for five of the defendants. The court referred the case to Egypt’s Grand Mufti, the country’s senior Sunni authority, which is the first step in ratifying the sentences. A final verdict is due next month. However, the defendants can appeal.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been facing numerous legal challenges, particularly in Egypt. Last month an Egyptian court sentenced [JURIST report] four members of the Muslim Brotherhood to death and 14 to life in prison for murder and possession of firearms. Earlier in February an Egyptian court ordered the release [JURIST report] on bail of two Al Jazeera journalists being retried on terror charges. Baher Mohammed and Mohammed Fahmy have spent more than 400 days in jail after a court found them guilty for falsifying news reports and associating with the Muslim Brotherhood. Also last month a court in Egypt confirmed death sentences [JURIST report] for 183 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted president Mohammed Morsi. In October an Egyptian court jailed eight men [JURIST report], including two Muslim Brotherhood leaders, for 15 years over the torture of a lawyer during 2011 uprisings against former president Hosni Mubarak. In June a group of UN human rights experts expressed their anger [JURIST report] after an Egyptian court confirmed the death sentences of 183 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.