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| Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo after clashes (Image: The Hindu) |
Cairo Appeal Court has announced on Sunday, 10 November, that the trial
of 15 prominent Islamist figures and Muslim Brotherhood’s leaders accused of
inciting violence during the July protests in 2013 to be held in December this
year. The court sessions are expected to be started on 9 December 2013.
Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, leading Islamist figures
Essam El-Erian, Mohamed El-Beltagy, Safwat Hegazy (prominent Salafist preacher),
Assem Abdel-Maged (leader of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya organization), Mahdi Akef,
Muslim Brotherhood’s former supreme guide and other prominent figures are
standing the trial accused of inciting violence and murder of the opponents,
inciting terrorism and terrorist activities, forming a gang to attack Egyptian
citizens and their properties etc.
At least 5 people have been killed during the violent clashes erupted
between anti and pro-Morsy protesters on 15 July in Giza. The defendants are
facing the charges of inciting the violence as they have been openly calling on
their supporters to attack the protesters what resulted in the violence and
murders.
Other defendants in the case are accused of illegal assembly, terrorism
and terrorist activities, illegal possession of weapons, murder, inciting violence,
assembling to form the gangs to attack and terrorize the citizens, damaging the
public and private property etc.
Muslim Brotherhood’s former Supreme Guide Mahdi Akef is also accused of
insulting Egyptian judiciary. In April 2013 he has given an interview to
Kuweiti newspaper where he accused Egyptian judges of being corrupt and also
condemned their decision to dissolve the Islamist dominated Parliament in 2012.
Thus the court process over the leading Muslim Brotherhood’s is ongoing
with the trial to be stared on 9 December.
It’s worth mentioning that hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood’s members
including leading figures have been arrested since the crackdown of the
Islamists and the dispersal of the Islamist sit-ins in Cairo and Giza on 14
August 2013.
Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsy in his turn is also facing the
trial accused of incitement of violence and murder of the opponents during the
December clashes in front of the Presidential Palace and facing the charges of
his prison break and escape during the January 25 Revolution in 2011 and the alleged
cooperation with the Palestinian Hamas.
The trial of Mohamed Morsy is postponed till the 8th of
January 2014. Mohamed Morsy though refuses to recognize the court and judges
due to try him and claims he remains President of the country. He doesn’t
accept the trial process and all the processes resulted of the “military coup”
and the creation of the interim government. Former President also refused to
appoint the lawyers for his defense team as well.
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