Mohamed Badie.

CAIRO — An Egyptian court signalled on Thursday, June 19, that it wanted death sentences for the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and 13 other defendants charged with murder and firearms possession, when it referred the case to the country’s religious authorities.

Judicial sources said a judge at a court session held at a Cairo police institute had referred all 14 of the defendants to the Mufti, the highest Islamic legal official, who must give an opinion on death sentences before they can be confirmed. The court’s final decision is expected on Aug. 3.

Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie, who faces charges in several other cases, was already referred to the Mufti on a separate set of charges.

More than a thousand suspected Muslim Brotherhood supporters have already been given death sentences this year which were referred to the Mufti. Their cases have provoked outrage among rights groups and Western governments.

Thirty-seven of the sentences have been upheld, and more than 600 others are awaiting a final decision. But so far none of the sentences has been carried out.

The court decision came less than two weeks after former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took office as president. Sisi ousted President Mohamed Morsi, of the Brotherhood, last July.

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah will pay a brief visit to Egypt on Friday in a show of support for Sisi, two Saudi sources told Reuters on Thursday.