An Egyptian court has overturned a life sentence against former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi on 22 November, according to reports. The country's court of cassation has ordered a retrial of the deposed president in a case that sees him accused of espionage along with Palestinian group Hamas.

Morsi, Egypt's first democratically-elected president, was handed down a life sentence in a trial in June 2015 for conspiring with Hamas, which is seen as affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He received a second life sentence in June 2016 for conspiring with Qatar.

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The ruling comes a week after a death sentence against Morsi was overturned, with the court also ordering a retrial. Morsi was sentenced to death in June 2015 for his alleged role in a prison break during the 2011 revolution, which saw president Hosni Mubarak deposed.

Morsi was elected president in the aftermath of the Arab Spring as leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. After his deposition – in a military coup led by the current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi – the group was outlawed, and thousands of its supporters arrested and imprisoned.

Egypt has also confiscated assets of scores of Brotherhood members and seized their businesses, including schools, hospitals, and companies as part of an ongoing crackdown. Most recently, on 21 November, an Egyptian government committee ordered the confiscation of assets of 46 members and supporters of group.

The Associated Press reported that the government committee, which is affiliated with the Justice Ministry, confiscated assets including five companies involved in trade, construction, and pharmaceuticals.

Egypt