Morsi trial adjourned till 23 Feb
17 Feb 2014 6:46 AM IST
The trial of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on charges of espionage and conspiring to commit acts of terror was on Sunday adjourned until 23 February after his lawyers walked out in protest.
The lawyers withdrew because Morsi has been confined in a soundproofed glass cage in recent courtroom appearances to prevent him from shouting and disrupting proceedings.
The 62-year-old Islamist leader is facing four separate trials, three of which have now opened.
Morsi was brought to Cairo’s police academy this morning by helicopter from the Burj al-Arab prison where he is held.
He and 35 others are accused of working with Lebanese and Palestinian groups to carry out attacks in Egypt.
The defendants have said they cannot follow proceedings because of the cage, but the judge insisted that headphones installed inside the dock will allow them to listen. The court said it would appoint a new defence team, the BBC reported.
Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was overthrown by the powerful military last July following mass street protests against his rule that was plagued by political uncertainty and violence in a deeply polarized country that ultimately led to his ouster.
Since Morsi’s exit, there has been a severe crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood group, as well as on other activists seen as hostile to the military-backed government. The Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization and authorities have punished any public show of support for it.
At least 1,000 people have died in clashes between security forces and pro-Morsi protesters since he was deposed, with thousands more arrested.
The lawyers withdrew because Morsi has been confined in a soundproofed glass cage in recent courtroom appearances to prevent him from shouting and disrupting proceedings.
The 62-year-old Islamist leader is facing four separate trials, three of which have now opened.
Morsi was brought to Cairo’s police academy this morning by helicopter from the Burj al-Arab prison where he is held.
He and 35 others are accused of working with Lebanese and Palestinian groups to carry out attacks in Egypt.
The defendants have said they cannot follow proceedings because of the cage, but the judge insisted that headphones installed inside the dock will allow them to listen. The court said it would appoint a new defence team, the BBC reported.
Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was overthrown by the powerful military last July following mass street protests against his rule that was plagued by political uncertainty and violence in a deeply polarized country that ultimately led to his ouster.
Since Morsi’s exit, there has been a severe crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood group, as well as on other activists seen as hostile to the military-backed government. The Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization and authorities have punished any public show of support for it.
At least 1,000 people have died in clashes between security forces and pro-Morsi protesters since he was deposed, with thousands more arrested.
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