Seventy-eight teenagers in Egypt have been sentenced to prison by a juvenile court.
According to Egypt’s state news agency, the teenagers were given sentences of between two and five years by a juvenile court in Alexandria on charges of “belonging to an outlawed group”
There was heavy security outside the court in Alexandria on Wednesday, where judicial sources said those sentenced were between the ages of 13 and 17.
The minors’ lawyers were banned from attending the court hearing while their family members were forced to wait outside.
The 78 minors were arrested for taking part in protests organized by the Muslim Brotherhood that called for the fall of the government and the return of deposed former president Mohamed Morsi to power.
They were also accused of obstructing traffic and for spreading fear among local residents and store owners.
The minors denied the charges and said that they were immediately arrested. However, the presiding judge handed down combined sentences totaling 340 years.
There have been protests against the Egyptian government since the army overthrew Morsi last July following mass protests against his rule.
Demonstrations have been staged in support of Morsi but they have lost strength after a fierce security crackdown against his Muslim Brotherhood party.
Punch Newspaper reports that at least 1,400 people are estimated to have been killed, over 15,000 jailed and hundreds sentenced to death since Morsi’s outing.
The Muslim Brotherhood has started a social media campaign calling for hunger strikes to take place in agreement with current Muslim Brotherhood prisoners and in response to what they see as the mistreatment of their members.
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