Stirring up murder of protesters takes Morsi to litigation

Ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi will face trial for inciting the murder of protesters rallying against him in December, Egypt's state prosecutor said on Sunday, dpa reported.

Morsi was referred to trial along with 14 others, including senior members of his Muslim Brotherhood group and some of his presidential advisors.

Around 10 people were killed in December in clashes between supporters and opponents of Morsi near the presidential palace in eastern Cairo.

The 15 defendants are accused of ordering their supporters to attack protesters, who were rallying against a decree by Morsi that made all his decisions immune from judicial review. The move came after the Republican Guard and Ministry of Interior refused to obey orders to attack protesters, the prosecutor said.

The date for the trial is yet to be announced.

Morsi was deposed by military chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi on July 3, after millions took to the streets calling for Egypt's first democratically elected president to go.

He has since been detained by the military at an undisclosed location.

The ousted leader is also facing charges of conspiring with Hamas to perpetrate "hostile acts" during the uprising against his predecessor Hosny Mubarak in 2011.


/Trend/