Ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi has been jailed for 20 years for his role in ordering the arrest and torture of protesters.

Morsi was forced from power in July 2013 after a series of large-scale protests against his rule, that many feared was becoming increasingly Islamist.

Since the military intervened and seized power, Egypt has banned Morsi’s political and religious party, the Muslim Brotherhood and arrested thousands of its members.

Morsi was found not guilty of a more serious charge of inciting the killing of protesters, which could have carried the death sentence.

The 14 other top Muslim Brotherhood members that faced trial alongside Morsi, have also been sentenced to 20 years behind bars.

The former president’s legal team said that they would appeal the decision.

Morsi still faces charges of colluding with militants to plot mass prison breaks in 2011, espionage and conspiring with Palestinian militant group Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Iran, and leaking state secrets to news network Al Jazeera.

Despite the legal cases against him, Morsi maintains that he is the legitimate and democratic leader of Egypt and that he was deposed in an illegal military coup.

On Monday, a Cairo court sentenced 22 Muslim Brotherhood members to death for their roles in an attack on a police station in the city.