An Egyptian court on Thursday began the process of imposing death sentences on the top leader and other members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist political movement swept from power by the military nearly a year ago, in the latest sign of judicial support for the government’s crackdown on the Brotherhood. In the past few months, Egyptian courts have drawn international condemnation by issuing hundreds of death sentences against Brotherhood members and supporters after rushed trials that have relied on questionable evidence. On Thursday, the court referred the cases of Mohamed Badie, above, the Brotherhood’s spiritual leader, and 13 other people to Egypt’s highest religious authority, in what is seen as the first step in confirming the death sentences. Mr. Badie was also sentenced to death in April, in an unrelated case, but he is entitled to a retrial because the sentence was passed in absentia. In the latest trial, Mr. Badie and other senior leaders, including Essam el-Erian and Mohamed el-Beltagy, faced charges that included inciting murder during violence in Cairo last August.