Egypt hands stiff jail terms to 23 Morsi supporters

Cairo (AFP) - An Egyptian court sentenced 23 supporters of Mohamed Morsi to lengthy prison terms on Wednesday over a violent protest against the Islamist president's ouster in 2013, judicial officials said.

Fifteen defendants were jailed for life, three for 15 years and five for 10.

The defendants were found guilty of killing three civilians during the protest in Cairo on July 5, 2013, two days after Morsi's overthrow, judicial officials said.

They were also convicted of "carrying weapons and attacking state institutions" during the protest near state television headquarters.

Egypt's then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Morsi after mass street protests against the Islamist's divisive one-year rule.

Violent demonstrations for his reinstatement followed, lasting several months, but they were crushed by a blistering police crackdown that left hundreds dead and tens of thousands jailed.

Hundreds more have been sentenced to death, including Morsi himself.