By Associated Press | March 16, 2015


Egyptian policemen stand guard in front of the courtroom defendant's cage during a verdict hearing on a case that stems from clashes near the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters on June 30, 2013, four days before the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, that left 11 people dead and 91 wounded, in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015. The Egyptian court sentenced four members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood organization to death and 14 to life in prison. Some 22,000 people have been arrested since Morsi's ouster, including most of the Brotherhood's leaders, as well as non-Islamist activists swept up by police during protests. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

CAIRO—Egypt’s official news agency says a criminal court has sentenced 14 people, including the leader of the country’s banned Muslim Brotherhood, to death.

The Giza Criminal Court issued its decision on Monday, however the court set an April 11 date to formally issue the ruling after consulting with the country’s grand mufti; the mufti reviews all death penalty cases, but his ruling is not binding.

The case is rooted in violence that swept the country after the military-led ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, whose supporters set up large protest encampments in Cairo.

Security forces violently ended the sit-ins, killing hundreds. In retaliation, many police stations and churches came under attack by alleged Morsi supporters. The court convicted Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie and 13 others of orchestrating the violence.