Deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi being brought into court at the police academy. Morsi was overthrown by the military on July 3, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Pro-Morsi alliance praises former president's 'resistance' during trial
Ahram Online, Monday 4 Nov 2013
Several political forces criticise the live-transmission ban of Morsi's Monday hearing
The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy, a pro-Morsi coalition, praised what it described as the deposed president's "resistance in the face of the coup's judges," during the beginning of his trial in court Monday, which the former president has refused to recognise.
"The alliance asserts the president's rejection of these invalid trial proceedings… [and] carries a message to the people to continue defending legitimacy, [against] the bloody coup leaders until they are defeated," the alliance said in a statement on Monday.
The 62 year-old, on trial with 14 other Islamist co-defendants - over charges of inciting violence and murder in December 2012 against their opponents - refused to wear the obligatory white suit for proceedings, dressing in a navy blue jacket over a white shirt. He also held up his hand, open with the four-fingered symbol used to evoke the Rabaa El-Adawiya sit-in by his supporters, which was forcibly dispersed in August leaving at least 600 dead.
The alliance, that has been protesting daily nationwide ahead of the trial, called on its supporters to continue their demonstrations Tuesday, dubbing them, ‘the world commends the president's resistance.’
Meanwhile, the moderate Islamist Strong Egypt Party said, although Morsi's trial reflects the rule of law, it is unacceptable that army and police officials are not also tried.
"The deposed president's trial is acceptable on the basis that it puts the law above everyone, yet it remains [unacceptable] that justice is implemented on him and not on his Interior Minister [Mohamed Ibrahim] and his defence minister [army Commander-in-Chief] Abd El-Fattah El-Sisi," said a statement issued by the party led by Abd El-Monem Abo El-Fotouh, ex-presidential contender and former Brotherhood member, who left the group after the 2011 uprising.
El-Sisi announced Morsi's ouster on 3 July and has gained widespread popularity since then. Ibrahim and El-Sisi remain in office, as significant players in Egypt's transitional period, marked by a heavy security crackdown on Brotherhood loyalists.
"[Morsi's trial] requires that the Supreme Council of Armed Forces [SCAF] that ruled Egypt for a year and a half [following ex-president Hosni Mubarak's ouster in 2011] is also tried regarding the killing of [protesters]," it added, "And, also requires a new trial for Mubarak loyalists that committed political and social crimes against the Egyptian people for 30 years."
The Salafist Nour party – which supported Morsi's ouster – argued that the trial lacks transparency. "I'm afraid the charges levied against the former president are politicised," spokesman for the party Abdel-Ghaffar Taha was quoted as saying by Ahram Arabic.
"It is well known that most of those who died during the presidential palace clashes were from the Muslim Brotherhood, how can he be tried for killing his own supporters?"
Controversy among political forces surrounded the authorities' decision not to transmit the proceedings of the trial live.
However, leading member of the liberal Constitution Party, Haitham El-Khatib, supported the ban on broadcasting the trial.
"The decision is in the country's best interests, as it could prevent the provocation of Morsi's supporters, which would lead to the spread of chaos in the country," he told Ahram Arabic’s news website Monday.
Prominent anti-Morsi youth group Tamarod (‘Rebel’), which played a major role in staging the mass protests that was followed by his ouster, hailed the trial as the realisation of the "people's promise to put Morsi back in jail," according to the group's co-founder Hassam Shahin. However, the group still criticised the ban on broadcasting the session.
"Any question regarding the credibility of reports by media outlets who had exclusive access to the session might create controversy among the people," spokesman for Tamarod Khaled El-Qadi told Ahram Arabic’s news website.
The 6th of April Youth Movement also pointed to a lack of transparency in banning the transmission of the hearing.
"It is an episode that has been repeating itself since the 25 January," spokesman for 6 April, Khaled El-Masri, told Ahram Arabic. "All details of the trial should be evident to the public."
Morsi's trial was adjourned to 8 January. Following the session, the deposed president was transferred to Borg-Al-Arab prison in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/85654.aspx
Rival protests in a number of governorates on Morsi trial day
Ahram Online, Monday 4 Nov 2013
Pro-Morsi protests are held in various governorates across Egypt, while clashes with opponents erupt in Alexandria, Assiut and Sharqiya
As a pro-Morsi march, during which birdshots were heard, approached the Moharram Bek police station in Alexandria on Monday, clashes erupted between pro-Morsi protesters and opponents leaving two injured, according to Aswat Masriya.
On a retaliatory march along the coastal city’s seaside Al-Corniche Street, Morsi opponents raising photos of Defence Minister Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi demanded the death penalty for the deposed president whose trial began on the same day, according to Al-Ahram’s Arabic website.
Earlier scuffles and stone-throwing Monday in the Al-Corniche area between pro-Morsi protesters and anti-Morsi passersby resulted in some minor injuries and 18 arrests, according to Egyptian public television.
A number of small pro-Morsi protests requesting the return of 'legitimacy', were also held in several unexpected spots in Alexandria, according to Al-Ahram’s Arabic website.
Meanwhile, dozens of pro-Morsi protesters in Upper Egypt’s Assiut Governorate attempted to halt traffic at the city entrance. Police responded with tear gas to disperse the crowd and additional security measures were taken by the police and the army to prevent further turmoil.
Hundreds of Al-Azhar University students in Assiut carrying yellow Rabaa banners and chanting slogans against the army and police also protested against Morsi’s trial.
The Lower Egypt Governorate of Daqahliya witnessed limited protests by Morsi supporters who chanted anti-army and anti-police slogans in front of the courthouse in the capital town of Mansoura. Police used teargas to disperse protesters when they tried to march, according to Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website. Another attempt by pro-Morsi individuals to block off the road in Mansoura was aborted by residents according to the same source.
In the Governorate of Sharqiya, birthplace of ousted president Morsi, thousands protested in the city of Zagazig, calling Morsi their lawful president. Police dispersed the protests using tear gas after scuffles and stone-throwing began with Morsi opponents.
Similar protests started in a number of villages throughout the governorate.
In the city of Suez, overlooking the Suez Canal, dozens of Islamist youths protested in support of Morsi, and a number of women demonstrated in front of the Al-Azhar Institute in Suez. The head of the Freedom and Justice Party Suez office told Al-Ahram’s Arabic website that a number of Morsi supporters headed to Cairo to join protests there.
Morsi supporters staged the Monday demonstrations in various parts of Egypt to protest the trial of the deposed president, which began earlier on the same day at the Police Academy in New Cairo.
Morsi and 14 other senior Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood figures are standing trial on charges of inciting violence and murder at the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace clashes in December 2012.
At least 10 died and 600 were injured in the December clashes, which broke out after pro-Morsi protesters attacked a sit-in held by opponents of a presidential decree which had granted the Islamist leader expanded powers.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/85594.aspx
Morsi's suit and statements in court cause controversy
Ahram Online, Monday 4 Nov 2013
The deposed president's refusal to wear the customary uniform for defendants and recognise the court or its proceedings on Monday stirred debate
Several legalities caused debate and controversy on Monday during the trial of ousted president Morsi and 14 other Brotherhood officials.
Among concerns was the legal status of the former president, who refused to wear the customary white uniform for defendants of criminal proceedings, instead opting to wear a full suit in the court room.
Judge Zaghlol El-Belshi, vice president of the appeals court and the minister of justice's former aide, said that Morsi should wear the temporary detention uniform like the rest of the defendants.
"The police are obliged to make Morsi wear the defendant's uniform," said Judge El-Belshi to Ahram’s Arabic gate on Monday.
"Not wearing it will not stop the trial. However, the court can penalise Morsi for violating the criminal procedures law," said the judge, adding that it was not the ousted president's right to address the public in political speeches.
"He is only allowed to defend himself against the charges brought against him, and in the case of not listening to the court's orders, the judge can demand the police remove him from the court and ban him from attending future sessions," Judge El-Belshi added.
The ousted president already addressed the judge during the trial as "the legitimate President," adding that he did not recognise "the court or the trial."
Another point of controversy concerned Morsi’s defence. Lawyers appointed by the Freedom and Justice Party to defend the ousted president and his co-defendants claimed that the President of Egypt, according to Constitution 2012, could not be prosecuted except in a special court after the approval of two-thirds of the People's Assembly.
"This defence is legally not valid, because Morsi is not longer the president of Egypt; he has been ousted by a public revolution on 30 June 2013," said Judge Ahmed Ouda to Ahram’s Arabic news site.
"He is no longer the president. Additionally, he is being prosecuted for criminal charges committed during his period of rule. Criminal charges follow the defendant, and thus the trial is legally valid," Judge Ouda, who is also a leading member in the liberal Wafd party, added.
Both judges, Ouda and El-Belshi, agreed that the defence of the Freedom and Justice Party's lawyers was invalid because the 2012 constitution was officially suspended, according to the constitutional declaration issued Morsi's ouster.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/85655.aspx
No comments:
Post a Comment