Mursi trial adjourned to March 1
An Egyptian court on Wednesday adjourned the murder trial of ousted president Mohammed Mursi to March 1, to review video evidence against him.
Mursi and 14 co-defendants, some of them former aides, are charged with inciting the killings of opposition protesters outside the presidential palace in December 2012.
The court also postponed witness testimony scheduled for Wednesdays session, after Mursis defence requested more time to prepare for cross examination. One of the witnesses was head of the military unit tasked with protecting the president at the time of the clashes.
Mursi was present in the court, bound and gagged inside a soundproof glass dock to prevent him from interrupting proceedings with defiant outbursts, as he had done in previous hearings. He insisted in previous hearings that he was still Egypts legitimate president and challenged the legitimacy of the court.
In the hearing on March 1, the court will review a report on video footage of the December 5, 2012, clashes between Mursis supporters and opponents. At least seven people were killed in the violence.
Mursi faces four separate trials, on charges ranging from contempt of the judiciary to plotting an elaborate conspiracy involving Iran and Palestinian militants to conduct attacks in Egypt. He could be sentenced to death if convicted on several of the charges, which include collusion with foreign groups and incitement to murder.
Posted by: Steve White 2014-02-06 |