White House ‘deeply troubled’ by sentencing of Egypt’s Morsi

The White House branded Egypt’s sentencing of former president Mohammed Morsi as “politically motivated” Tuesday, in a sharp rebuke of Washington’s uneasy military ally. A court earlier upheld the death penalty for Morsi’s role in the 2011 uprising against the military-backed government and sentenced him to life in prison on spying charges. Current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi — formerly the army chief — ousted the Muslim Brotherhood’s Morsi in July 2013 after mass protests calling for an end to his divisive one-year rule. Washington has since lifted a ban on arms shipments to Egypt but has been critical of mass trials and the prosecution of Morsi and his allies.

We are concerned that proceedings have been conducted in a way that is not only contrary to universal values but also damaging to stability that all Egyptians deserve.

Spokesman Josh Earnest

World Morsi