Egyptian prosecutors referred ousted president Mohamed Morsi and 14 others to a criminal court over the killing of a journalist and the violence that erupted over his controversial presidential declaration last year.
Egyptian prosecutors referred ousted president Mohamed Morsi and 14 others to a criminal court over the killing of a journalist and the violence that erupted over his controversial presidential declaration last year.
The prosecutor general, Hesham Barakat, accused Morsi of inciting violence and committing murders in the Itihadyah area near the presidential palace Dec 5, 2012, after his opponents protested over his presidential declaration that gave him absolute powers, Xinhua reported citing Egypt’s official news agency MENA.
The other 14 suspects belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, the main political group behind Morsi, MENA added.
More than 350 members of the Muslim Brotherhood have been arrested, including its general guide Mohamed Badie, amid continuing protests organised by the group after the Egyptian army ousted Morsi in early July.
Morsi became the first democratically-elected president in Egypt’s history in mid-2012. But he was ousted by the military July 3 this year after millions of Egyptians took to the streets, accusing Morsi of grabbing powers and mismanaging the economy.
The Brotherhood and its supports, calling the military move a coup, have since held large-scale protests, demanding nothing short of Morsi’s full reinstatement.
Clashes between Brotherhood supporters and the military resulted in deadly violence in late July, with the army killing and injuring thousands of Morsi’s followers, drawing international condemnation.
The latest round of violence erupted Friday, with at least six people killed and 190 injured, Egypt’s health ministry said.
-IANS
