An Egyptian court jailed more than 160 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to up to 15 years in prison on Sunday, pressing a crackdown on the Islamist group before a presidential election former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to ‘win’.

Defendants chanted "Down with military rule" as Judge Hassan Fareed handed down 10-year jail terms to 126 Brotherhood supporters. A further 37 people received 15-year sentences in a second case.

The security forces have detained thousands of Brotherhood supporters since the military deposed the elected president Mohamed Mursi last.

Sisi has signaled there will be no reconciliation with the Brotherhood.

Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie, who was among 683 people sentenced to death last month, made a rare address in court, rejecting the accusations leveled against his group.

"We have never responded to any attack against us with violence," said Badie, addressing the judge in footage uploaded to Youtube. The judiciary was being used in a political conflict the likes of which Egypt had never seen before, he said.
Badie described the charges as "lies and falsehood".

PHOTO CAPTION

Member of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Beltagy (L) speaks during his trial at a court in Cairo, May 18, 2014.

Reuters