Senior Brotherhood figure says Mursi trial "nail in coffin" of democracy

Former Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi sits behind bars with other Muslim Brotherhood members at a court in the outskirts of Cairo, December 29, 2014. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih/Files

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood said the trial of Egypt's former president Mohamed Mursi, sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday, had "fallen below all international standards". "This verdict is a nail in the coffin of democracy in Egypt," Yahya Hamid, a former minister in Mursi's cabinet and head of international relations for the Brotherhood, told a news conference in Istanbul. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Andrew Heavens)