An assistant to Egypt’s grand mufti has urged caution when reporting on death sentences that are pending the approval of the mufti.
Ibrahim Negm, an adviser to Grand Mufti Shawqy Allam, has stressed that “all statements made on death sentences which are circulated by some media outlets are mere speculations”.
In a statement on Sunday, Negm said information on defendants sentenced to death are surrounded by complete secrecy, explaining that handling those issues, Dar al-Iftaa becomes a part of the judicial system, which requires that no one is briefed on the final judgement before it is issued.
In Egypt’s judicial system, death sentences are referred to the grand mufti for nominal approval. The mufti’s feedback is non-binding for courts.
A number of death sentences against Muslim Brotherhood leaders, most notably former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, are currently pending approval by Dar al-Iftaa.
Edited translation from MENA
