Morsy in dock for ‘insulting’ judiciary

CAIRO, Saturday

Ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsy went on trial Saturday alongside several secular figures behind Egypt’s 2011 uprising, underlining a crackdown on all forms of dissent.

The trial for “insulting the judiciary” is the fifth for Morsy, who was sentenced to death last week on charges connected with a mass prison break during the uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Bringing together all forms of opposition for the first time, Morsy and other Islamist opponents of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi were back in the dock along with several liberal and secular opposition leaders.

Twenty-five defendants — including even some Sisi supporters — stand accused of contempt of court in comments made in parliament, speeches, on social media or in interviews.

The judge struck off the name of a 26th defendant.

Morsy was brought to court in the blue prison uniform of a convict, and was separated from the other defendants in the courtroom, standing alone in a metal cage.

“I refuse to be tried because this court has no jurisdiction to judge me,” said Morsy, who has defiantly disputed the legitimacy of all the courts that have tried him so far.

“Since November 2013, my family and my lawyers have been prevented from visiting me.”

The seven other defendants in custody — secular as well as Islamist activists — appeared in a separate metal cage.

“The crackdown against the opposition is only intensifying and the judiciary is very much at the forefront of this crackdown,” said Shadi Hamid, a fellow at the Brookings Centre for Middle East Policy.

“The trial will be kind of a test case of what the regime is thinking, not just of Islamists but also of the liberal and secular opposition as well.”

Among the defendants is Alaa Abdel Fattah, a top secular activist behind the protests that led to the downfall of Mubarak.

Already in prison for participating in an “illegal protest” in November 2013, he has been charged over comments on Twitter on 2011 raids on the offices of foreign civil society groups.

Other defendants in court included Muslim Brotherhood leaders Mohamed Beltagy and Saad al-Qatatni.

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Amr Hamzawy, a well-known political science professor and former MP, and human rights lawyer Amir Salem are also among the accused but were not in court.
Like Abdel Fattah, they had called for Morsi’s ouster.

Defendant Essam Sultan, an Islamist, said at Saturday’s hearing that prison authorities were “not giving us food, medicines or blankets”.

“Farid Ismail died in the cell I am in because they did not give him medical treatment,” he said, referring to a senior Brotherhood leader.

The trial was adjourned to July 27.

Morsy was toppled by then army chief Sisi in July 2013 after mass street protests against his turbulent year in power.