UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about death sentences sought against Egypt ousted President Mohammad Mursi and more than 100 others on Saturday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about death sentences sought against Egypt ousted President Mohammad Mursi and more than 100 others on Saturday.

Ban urged authorities to avoid steps that could undermine peace, stability and the rule of law in the region, his office told Anadolu Agency in a statement.

“He reaffirms the United Nations’ position against capital punishment,” the statement added.

A court pronounced death sentences on Mursi and 121 other people on jailbreak charges on Saturday and sent a notice to the Grand Mufti, Egypt’s highest religious authority, to give his opinion on the matter.

The opinion of the mufti, however, is non-binding to the court, but Egyptian law makes it necessary for judges to seek a religious point of view on any death sentence.

The potential verdict is open to appeal.

“The Secretary-General understands that the verdict is still subject to an appeal. He will continue to monitor the process very closely,” the UN statement said.

Mursi has been toppled by the military in June 2013, and his party, Muslim Brotherhood, is considered a banned organization in Egypt.