Egypt Court Sentences 3 Year Old Boy To Life In Jail

An Egyptian military court has sentenced a three-year-old boy to life in prison, in a case of mistaken identity.

The court said the toddler identified as Ahmed Mansour Qorany allegedly committed the crime he when he was 16-months-old.

The bizarre case of mistaken identity has prompted outcry across the country.

A military court last week found Qorany — and 115 others — guilty of killing three people and sabotaging public and private property.

The crimes allegedly took place during a January 2014 protest by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsy and ensuing clashes in the southern province of Fayyoum, according to a statement by the Egyptian military.

Ahmed was 16 months old when the demonstration took place. He was just a little over 3 years old when the military court sentenced him to life last week.

The boy was also sentenced to additional three years for related charges by a civilian misdemeanor court.

Spokesman Col Mohammed Samir said the court intended to sentence a 16-year-old with a similar name instead.

He made the statement through a post on Facebook (in Arabic), saying, Ahmed Mansour Qurani Sharara, 16, should have been sentenced and not Ahmed Mansour Qurani Ali.

It remains unclear what will now happen to the three year old.

The child’s lawyer, Abu Kaf said his name had been added to the list of suspects by mistake – and that court officials had not passed his birth certificate to the judge to prove his age at the time of the offence.

Egypt’s judicial system has come under repeated criticism since the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, following mass protests.

Mass sentencing has become a common occurrence in Egyptian civilian and military courts. In cases of street demonstrations or clashes, hundreds are usually arrested and charged.

In 2014, over a thousand were sentenced to death in two cases involving the deaths of two police officers during protests. The sentences were later reduced to life sentences to most of the defendants.