You have commented 338 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Africa North
Defiant Morsi Tells Egypt Court to Try 'Coup' Leaders
2013-11-05
[An Nahar] Egypt's deposed President Mohammed Morsi
...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator...
appeared in court Monday on the first day of his trial, rejecting its legitimacy and demanding "coup" leaders be prosecuted, as thousands of his supporters rallied.

In his first public appearance four months after the military toppled him, Morsi was indignant and outraged as he attended the courtroom at a police academy in east Cairo.

Morsi and 14 co-defendants are accused of inciting violence and the murder of protesters outside his presidential palace in December, charges that could lead to the death penalty or life in prison.

"I am Dr. Mohammed Morsi, the president of the republic... This court is illegal," Morsi told the opening hearing of his trial.

The Islamist leader slammed his overthrow by the army on July 3 after mass protests against his single year of turbulent rule.

"This was a military coup. The leaders of the coup should be tried. A coup is treason and a crime," he said.

Amid tight security, Morsi was flown in to the police academy by helicopter before arriving in the courtroom wearing a dark blue suit rather than the customary white detention clothes.

As he walked in, two of his co-defendants, senior Moslem Brüderbund leaders Essam al-Erian and Mohammed al-Beltagui chanted "Down with military rule" the hearing, and applauded Morsi.

Judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef banned cameras and recording equipment from the courtroom.

Morsi's supporters, battered by a bloody and sweeping police crackdown, accuse the army-installed government of fabricating the charges against the Islamist leader and on Monday rallied at several places in the capital against the military.

Outside, dozens of them brandished posters of Morsi and signs bearing anti-military messages. Thousands also protested in front of the constitutional court in the south of the capital.

"Morsi's trial is a farce. The criminals are trying the legitimate president," said one of them, Ibrahim Abdel Samd.

Tensions were also high in front of the high court in downtown Cairo where pro- and anti-Morsi supporters had gathered.
Posted by:Fred

00:00