The court ruling today by Judge Mohammed Nagy Shehata -- known for his severity -- can be appealed. Five of those sentenced to death were tried in absentia.
The suspects were referred to court in 2015, more than a year after the military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. Authorities later banned Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group and thousands of its members were referred to courts over numerous charges.
The verdict comes a day after a lethal attack on policemen southwest of Cairo. The Interior Ministry said 16 policemen were killed while other officials put the death toll at 54.