Egypt: Mohammed Morsi death sentence verdict adjourned

An Egyptian judge has adjourned the final death sentence verdict of former president Mohammed Morsi to 16 June.

The judge said he received the opinion from the country's highest authority on religion and Sharia law, Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, and will take time to consider a final verdict.

Morsi was sentenced to death on 16 May along with 105 of his Muslim Brotherhood movement in connection with a mass jailbreak in 2011.

The judge referred the death sentences of Morsi and the other prisoners to Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Allam, for his approval.

Before the court adjourned the ruling, defendants flashed the Muslim Brotherhood sign and chanted "down with military rule."

During the revolution, prison guards deserted their posts across the country, leading to thousands of prisoners fleeing imprisonment.

Contemporary reports differed about how Morsi escaped: some said that he had the assistance of friends and family while other said he, and other Muslim Brotherhood members, were broken out by armed Brotherhood militia.

Around 33 other prisoners, including seven senior Muslim Brotherhood members, also fled the jail with Morsi.

The former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood is already serving a 20-year prison sentence for ordering the arrest and torture of protestors during his time in power, during June 2012 to July 2013.

Morsi was Egypt's first democratically elected president. He was overthrown in a military coup in July 2013 following mass demonstrations against his rule. Since then, his Muslim Brotherhood party has been banned and many of its supporters have been arrested.

Opposition to Morsi gained momentum when he bestowed far-reaching powers on himself.