In mass trial, Egypt sentences 139 pro-Morsi protesters to 2-year prison terms
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Egyptian men try to help save the life of an al-Azhar University student heavily injured from clashes outside the university in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. Students of Egypt's main Islamic university said they were prevented from taking their exams on Sunday by fellow students who support the Muslim Brotherhood. The comments were made outside al-Azhar University's Faculty of Commerce, which was set on fire a day earlier. (AP Photo/Mohammed Asad) (The Associated Press)
An Egyptian court has convicted 139 supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on charges ranging from rioting to sabotage, and sentenced each to two-year prison terms.
The mass trial was among scores of court cases and prosecutions in Egypt that have followed the popularly-backed July coup that ousted Morsi from power.
The 139 were arrested on July 15 for holding street protests demanding Morsi's reinstatement. Egypt's official news agency, MENA, says they clashed with residents and street vendors in a downtown Cairo district, Bab el-Shaariya.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MENA says the court Monday ruled that the defendants could pay nearly 700 dollars in fines to have their sentences suspended until a higher tribunal issues a final verdict.
The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, has held near-daily protests to denounce his ouster.