Update | Court hands death sentences to 529 loyalists of ex-Egypt president Mursi
Mass trial ends with convictions for attackson police,but human rights lawyer says appeals are likely over the 'unacceptable' verdicts
A court in Egypt has sentenced to death 529 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the outlawed party of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Mursi - after convicting them of charges including murdering a policeman and attacking police.
Turmoil in Egypt has grown increasingly violent since the army overthrew Mursi - Egypt's first freely elected president - after protests last July.
Most defendants in the mass trial were dealt with in absentia, while more than 150 stood in court in unprecedentedly rushed hearings lasting only two days. Sixteen suspects were acquitted.
The verdicts - and extremely harsh sentences - are likely to be overturned on appeal, a human rights lawyer said after the trial ended in the city of Minya, north of Cairo. "This is way over the top and unacceptable," said lawyer Mohammed Zarie, who heads a human rights centre in Cairo.
"This verdict could be a precedent both in the history of Egyptian courts and perhaps, tribunals elsewhere in the world."
The mass trial shows the determination of Egypt's military-backed government to break the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group and leaves no room for political reconciliation with the country's largest Islamist bloc.
