Egypt: 5 Given Life Sentences for Murder of Coptic Christians

23/2/2010

CAIRO — An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced five men to life in prison for killing two Coptic Christian men in a blood-feud in Upper Egypt. The court in Luxor ruled that the men were guilty of murder and were sentenced accordingly, a court official told Bikya Masr.

“The men have gotten what they deserve and will now be spending time in jail for this crime,” said the official, who was not authorized to speak to the media.

A life sentence in Egypt is 25-years.

The court ruling comes on the backdrop of sectarian tensions in the country, which increased dramatically on January 6, after two gunmen opened fire on Christian worshipers who were leaving an Orthodox Christmas Eve service. They killed 6 Copts and one Muslim security guard in the town of Nag Hammadi.

Their trial was postponed last week until March as lawyers cried foul, reporting they were barred from entering the court during proceedings.

International and local Coptic organizations have demanded greater intervention from foreign powers, namely the United States, saying that Coptic Christians are being discriminated against and threatened by the Muslim majority.

It is a contentious situation in the country, one which has left charged language being thrown against both sides, but most activists and observers believe a stronger judicial process will help calm the rising tensions between the two groups.

Christians, of which Copts are the majority, make up some 10 percent of Egypt’s 80 million inhabitants.

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