An Egyptian court could sentence deposed president Mohamed Mursi to death Tuesday in the first verdict against the Brotherhood leader nearly two years after he was toppled.

The Cairo court will deliver its verdict on charges of inciting the killing of protesters in December 2012, when Mursi was still in office.

A death penalty against the country's first freely elected president would be a symbolic blow against his Muslim Brotherhood movement.
Ahead of the verdict, the Brotherhood slammed Sisi and called for pro-Mursi protests on Tuesday.

"The coup commander is exploiting the judiciary as a weapon in the battle against popular will and the democratic and revolutionary legitimacy represented by President Mohamed Mursi," it said in a statement.

Mursi also faces a possible death penalty in two other trials, including one in which he is accused of spying for foreign powers.
Separate verdicts in those two cases are due on May 16.

A death sentence on Tuesday cannot be ruled out, experts say, especially since judges have already passed harsh verdicts against leaders of the Brotherhood.
Mursi was toppled after mass street protests against his year-long rule.

Hundreds have been sentenced to death after speedy mass trials which the United Nations called "unprecedented in recent history".
In November, a court dropped murder charges against Mubarak in his own trial over the deaths of hundreds of protesters in 2011.

Tuesday's verdict involves a case in which Mursi and 14 other defendants, seven of whom are on the run, are charged with the killing of three protesters and torturing several more during clashes in front of the presidential palace on December 5, 2012.

Even if he escapes the death penalty, Mursi could still face life in jail.
The verdict is open to appeal.