Egypt’s ousted president goes on trial today
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Egyptian authorities switched the venue for the trial of the former Islamist president yesterday, a last-minute change made after the Muslim Brotherhood called for mass demonstrations at the original location.
The trial of Mohammed Morsi, now to be held east of the capital today, could lead to another round of bloodshed as his supporters look likely to face an emboldened security apparatus that has boosted its forces for the hearing.
Speaking at a news conference, appeals court judge Medhat Idris gave no reason for the change of venue, adding that the hearing would not be televised live.
Morsi has been held in undisclosed location and received only rare visits and telephone calls since his July 3 ouster in a popularly backed military coup. The trial will be his first public appearance since then, possibly enflaming the already tense political atmosphere.
He stands charged of inciting violence and murder during clashes last year at the presidential palace.
The heavily-fortified police academy in an eastern Cairo suburb where the trial is to be held has already been transformed into a courthouse for the trial of another former president, Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled in a 2011 uprising.
The room erupted in chaos immediately after Idris’ announcement, with Morsi supporters chanting “down with military rule,” leading the exasperated judge to throw his statement into the air and storm out of the room.
The trial of Morsi, who emerged from the Brotherhood to win the nation’s highest political office, is the latest chapter in the interim authorities’ crackdown on the group.
Morsi’s family will not attend a trial it considers illegitimate, his son Osama said. Brotherhood political party member Shimaa Awad said they feared they would be mistreated and humiliated.
The remarks come as US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Cairo pressing for reforms during the highest-level American visit to Egypt since Morsi’s ouster. The coup and the ensuing crackdown on his protesting supporters led the US to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in aid.
Trial is ‘farce’
In recent statements, a coalition led by Morsi’s Brotherhood called the trial as a “farce” and reiterated it regarded him as the “elected, legitimate president” of Egypt. “This is a naive tool to break our will and our determination,” it said yesterday.
Chances of a new confrontation between security forces and Morsi supporters on the trial day are high. A Brotherhood-led group has called for mass rallies, while the interior minister has ordered the deployment of large number of security forces to guard the trial venue.
It is unclear whether Morsi will return to his current, unknown place of detention or join fellow Brotherhood leaders who are in Torah prison, which is adjacent to the initial trial venue.
International rights groups urged interim authorities to both investigate previous killings and to ensure a fair trial.
In a statement yesterday, London-based Amnesty International said Morsi’s trial is a “test” for the Egyptian authorities.
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