Egypt backs death sentence for Muslim Brotherhood chief

A judge at a mass trial in Egypt has recommended the death penalty for 683 people - including the Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie. The defendants faced charges over an attack on a police station in Minya in 2013 in which a policeman was killed. The judge also reversed 492 death sentences out of 529 passed in March, commuting most to life in prison. The cases and speed of the hearings have drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups and the U.N.
Background:
Egypt court recommends death sentence for Brotherhood leader, 682 supporters [Reuters]
Egypt: Brotherhood's Badie among mass death sentences [BBC]