Trial of Egypt's military-ousted president resumes

Trial of Egypt's military-ousted president resumes
Sat Feb 1, 2014 16:57:39

Deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures have appeared in court in the capital, Cairo, on charges of inciting the killing of protesters, Egypt's official news agency reported.

The agency's report gave no details on the proceedings, held amid tight security in a makeshift courtroom in the national police academy in an eastern Cairo suburb.

The trial is one of four Morsi and top leaders of Muslim Brotherhood face. The charges leveled against them mostly carry the death penalty.

At a hearing in another trial four days ago, a defiant Morsi shouted that he was still the legitimate president.

Morsi was ousted by the country's military stongman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on July 3. He is now held at a high security prison near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

The charges against the defendants stem from violence outside the presidential palace in December 2012 when Morsi's supporters allegedly attacked protesters staging a sit-in. The clashes killed at least 10 people. The defendants are charged with inciting the killing of three of those protesters.

Morsi's other trials are on charges of breaking from prison during the 18-day uprising against deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak's rule in 2011, conspiracy with militant groups and insulting the judiciary.

Egypt has been rocked by a wave of deadly violence since Morsi's ouster, with the army and security forces facing a full blown insurgency in the Sinai peninsula. The violence has spread to mainland Egypt, with attacks on high profile targets in Cairo growing more frequent.

There also have been near daily protests by Morsi's supporters.

The military-backed government has meanwhile been cracking down on the Brotherhood and its allies, killing hundreds and jailing thousands since July.

In the latest violence, the Health Ministry on Saturday said one person was killed in Cairo and 35 were wounded in clashes on the previous day between police and Morsi's supporters in Cairo and several other cities.

RA/MB
 

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