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Egypt starts Morsi trial over killing protesters

Source: Xinhua | November 4, 2013, Monday | Online Edition

The first session of the trial of Egypt's ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi started in Cairo on Monday, according to the state TV.

Morsi, who is affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood, was brought Monday morning to a courthouse in Cairo to face trial over inciting violence and deaths of protesters, raising fears of renewed violence and clashes across the country.

Morsi is accused along with the other 14 top Muslim Brotherhood officials of inciting the violence and the murder of protesters outside the presidential palace in December 2012.

It was Morsi's first public appearance since he was toppled by the military on July 3 in response to nationwide protests against his one-year rule. He has been held at an undisclosed location after his arrest.

Morsi was flown by helicopter to the Police Academy in the eastern New Cairo district amid tightened security measures, official news agency MENA reported.

Authorities surprisingly switched the venue on the eve of Monday's first trial session due to security reasons. The original place was reported near the Tora Prison in the southern Cairo.

Egypt is on high alert for the trial and nearly 20,000 policemen have been deployed to deal with any outbreak of violence. The Ring Road, a main highway in Cairo, was closed for fear of any attack on the vehicles transporting defendants, security official said.

According to Xinhua correspondents, the neighborhood of the courthouse was tightly secured by armored vehicles and hundreds of soldiers and policemen. "All the electronic equipment including cell phones and cameras are not be allowed to bring in," they said.

The roads to the police academy were sealed off, and only authorized people and accredited journalists were allowed to enter, they added.   "Hundreds of protesters are marching nearby the facility. They are holding Morsi's pictures, chanting anti-military slogans and calling for the reinstatement of Morsi," the correspondents said, adding that the current demonstration is relatively peaceful.

In November 2012, Morsi, the country's first democratically- elected president, issued a decree granting himself sweeping powers, prompting opponents to accuse him of failing the ideals of the anti-Mubarak revolution.

A month later, deadly clashes erupted outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace between supporters and opponents of the president. Morsi is facing allegations of inciting that violence.

However, his supporters and family members condemn the ouster of Morsi as a "military coup". They also said Morsi was arrested by "politicized motives." 

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