Ex-Egyptian leader Morsi sentenced to death

The US government has expressed "deeply concern" about the death penalty handed to former Egyptian President, Mohamed Mursi.

Prosecutors are demanding execution of Mursi and more than 100 other defendants after a mass trial which has also been condemned by Amnesty International.

• Ex-Egyptian leader Morsi sentenced to death

"We are deeply concerned by yet another mass death sentence handed down by an Egyptian court to more than 100 defendants, including former President Mursi," a State Department official said.

"We have consistently spoken out against the practice of mass trials and sentences, which are conducted in a manner that is inconsistent with Egypt's international obligations and the rule of law," the official added.

Muslim Brotherhood official Amr Darrag condemned an Egyptian court's decision to seek the death penalty for former president Mohamed Morsi and called on the international community to take action.

• Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi sentenced to death

"This is a political verdict and represents a murder crime that is about to be committed, and it should be stopped by the international community," Darrag, co-founder of the dissolved Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, told Reuters in Istanbul.

An Egyptian court has sought the death sentence for former President Mohamed Morsi and 105 other members of the Muslim Brotherhood in connection with a mass jail break in 2011.

The cases, like any capital sentence, will be referred to Egypt's top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for any opinion before any executions can take place.