BRUSSELS
The European Union has called on the Egyptian judiciary to provide elected president Mohamed Morsi and more than 100 of his supporters with "the right to a fair trial."
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Sunday: "The Egyptian judicial authorities have the responsibility to ensure, in line with international standards, defendants' rights to a fair trial and proper and independent investigations."
"As the EU, we are confident the sentence will be revised during the appeal process. Stability and rule of law should be guaranteed," Mogherini added.
On Saturday, an Egyptian court referred 122 out 166 defendants -- including Morsi -- to the grand mufti to consider possible death sentences against them over charges of jailbreaking and espionage.
The U.S. and the United Nations both expressed concern over the decision on Sunday.
Cairo said it rejected all "inappropriate comments" on the country's court rulings, labeling them an unacceptable interference in Egypt's internal affairs.
Most death sentences handed down by Egyptian courts are commuted into prison terms.
Last year, hundreds of Egyptians were sentenced to death but rulings on only a few dozen were actually upheld, the rest converted into jail sentences of 25 years.
Last month, Morsi and 12 codefendants were sentenced to 20 years in prison each for allegedly mobilizing supporters to “intimidate, detain and torture” dozens of anti-Morsi protesters during clashes outside eastern Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace in December 2012.
Morsi currently faces multiple criminal trials on charges that include espionage and “insulting the judiciary,” charges he says are politically motivated.
Since Morsi's ouster, Egyptian security forces have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent that has targeted both Islamists and secularists, leaving hundreds dead and thousands behind bars.
