Mohamed Morsi
Egypt court adjourns Morsi trial until January
The trial of Egypt's deposed president Mohamed Morsi for inciting the murder of several protesters began on Monday but was adjourned until January. According to Egyptian news sources, Morsi rejected the court's authority by refusing to dress in prison clothing and declaring the trial illegitimate, stating that he was still the lawful president of Egypt. This was Morsi's first appearance since he was deposed in July. Morsi apppeared with 14 co-defendants before the court. The case has been adjourned until January 8.
Controversy continues to surround the transition following the Egyptian Revolution. Morsi's actions while in office have generated much criticism, and his trial has prompted a great deal of scholarship. Egyptian police last Wednesday arrested a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to a source from Egypt's Interior Ministry. That Tuesday three criminal court judges presiding over a Muslim Brotherhood trial resigned without elaboration.
Earlier this month an Egyptian court dismissed charges against former vice president Mohamed ElBaradei, who served as vice president in the government set up by the military, but stepped down in protest of the violence directed at protesters. Also in October an Amnesty International report showed Egyptian security forces used live ammunition to disperse protesters. Earlier this month the Muslim Brotherhood filed a lawsuit appealing a court verdict ordering the interim government to seize the group's assets.
(Published by Jurist – November 4, 2013)