An Egyptian court has sentenced 683 people, including Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie to death.



In a separate case, the same court also upheld the death penalty for 37 defendants, reversing 492 death sentences out of 529 it passed in March, the AFP news agency reported. Most of the death sentences were commuted to life in prison.

Monday's hearing in the southern province of Minya comes amid a brutal crackdown on supporters of President Mohamed Morsi and the Brotherhood since the military overthrew him last July.

The court has come under the spotlight after the same judge in March sentenced the 529 defendants to death in just two sessions.

The second batch, including Badie, had faced charges of the murder and attempted murder of several policemen during rioting by Morsi supporters in Minya on August 14.